


I Found a Reason

by blackwellninja



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Little bit of angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-23 01:11:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9633422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackwellninja/pseuds/blackwellninja
Summary: In his first Grand Prix Final, Yuri Katsuki not only embarrassed himself in front of the whole world but also injured himself, effectively ending his career before it even began.10 years later while coaching one of the triplets he is reintroduced to the world of international figure skating and his greatest inspiration, Viktor Nikiforov, who has spent the last decade trying to figure out who he is off the ice.





	1. It's a Pleasure to Meet You

Yuuri looked down at the half empty drink in his hand. It was late. He knew he should be in bed considering how early he had to get up to make the flight home but his brain was unfortunately too busy buzzing with anxiety. The last thing he wanted to be doing was lying in a dark hotel room staring at the ceiling.

So he had decided to ignore the rational part of his brain and head down to the hotel bar to get a drink and calm his nerves. Yuuri grimaced as he finished the rest of his drink and willed his anxiety down, so far it wasn’t helping. He couldn’t keep himself from thinking about the first and last time he skated at a Grand Prix final. Yuuri reached down and rubbed his right knee. He could feel the raised skin of his surgery scar through his pants and the memory of the fall, the crack of bone against ice was uncomfortably fresh in his mind even after ten years.

He waved down the bartender and ordered another drink.

This late at night the hotel bar was practically empty and Yuuri appreciated the quiet. He needed to think, re-evaluated what was going to come next. He knew he should be happy. Lutz had just earned fourth place at the Junior Grand Prix, and next season she would be competing in the senior division. He knew he should be jumping up and down with excitement over the fact that the girl he had coached since she was 6 years old was going to competing at the highest level of figure skating.

But in reality he felt like he was going to be sick. Despite his lack of knowledge about how to be a proper coach, Lutz had managed to climb the ranks of Japanese skating. Although she started skating with both of her sisters she was the only one to stick with the sport, through the years Axel and Loop both moved on to other things, leaving Yuuri to focus all of his attention on Lutz. Yuuri knew that one day his brief and ultimately uneventful experience as a professional skater would run out and he would no longer be any use to her, and it seemed the farther she got in competitions the sooner that day was going to come.

Deep down Yuuri figured he should eventually do the right thing and help her find a real coach that would be able to take her farther than he could. Someone who knew more than he did, who had skills he didn’t have. But Yuuri also knew he could never do that. He had watched her and her sisters grow up right in front of his eyes, how could he leave her?

No, he sighed. He would stay for as long as she would have him. Until she realized she needed to move on from him to someone better. Yuuri just hated the idea that he could possibly be holding her back.

Yuuri’s head felt like it was swimming and it had nothing to do with the drinks. He rested his head on the bar, relishing in the feeling of the cool wood against his forehead.

“Rough day?” Someone asked in heavily accented English.

Yuuri’s head snapped up and felt his face flush in embarrassment. He started stammering an explanation but the words died on his lips when he laid eyes on the man who had spoken. He first noticed the silver hair followed by the bluest eyes Yuuri had ever seen.

“Uhh…yeah.” Yuuri finally choked out.

Viktor Nikiforov, the man Yuuri had idolized for over two decades, was standing right in front of him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You’re the coach for the Japanese skater right? The one who placed 4th?” He said after a moment as he sat down at the bar next Yuuri.

Yuuri decided that nodding was the safest response, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to trust his voice at that moment. He could barely even process that Viktor knew who he was, or at least knew who Lutz was.

“She did great today. Is she moving up to senior division next season?” He asked and he seemed to be genuinely interested. 

Yuuri nodded again with probably a little too much enthusiasm.

Viktor grinned, his eyes sparkling in the dim bar light. “You don’t say much.”

Yuuri allowed himself to laugh a little. “Just a little caught off guard. I’m Yuuri Katsuki.” He explained, and introduced himself. 

He held his hand out for Viktor to shake. Viktor took it gently and Yuuri felt his hand tingle at the contact.

Viktor gave him a curious look. “Caught off guard?”

“Not every day you get to meet a legend.” Yurri admitted sheepishly.

Now it was Viktor’s turn to be embarrassed.  It wasn’t Yuuri’s intention to embarrass him but he wouldn’t lie that it did give him a sense of satisfaction, that he was able to fluster the other man. 

To be fair Viktor had been retired for almost ten years now and a lot of the younger skaters weren’t as aware of the god like status Viktor held when Yuuri was their age. The triplets only had such a high regard for him because they were unfortunate enough to be exposed to Yuuri and their mother’s feverish devotion to the man.

Viktor laughed, it was a warm and it made Yuuri’s heart start beating ten times faster.

“You're kind. So I take it you know who I am.” Viktor said. 

“Of course, I grew up watching your performances. My friend and I would even try and copy them.” Yuuri blurted out and immediately regretted it as he felt embarrassment heat his cheeks. 

“Oh really?” Viktor said with a laugh. It wasn't unkind, only amused. But he didn’t continue the conversation, instead he turned to the bartender and ordered a drink.

Yuuri cleared his throat. "So you're coaching the Russian skater now, Inna Morozov?"

Viktor smirked as if he was enjoying a joke with himself. "Yakov Feltsman is still technically her coach. I don't know if that crazy old man will ever retire or if he insists on dying on the ice, but he can no longer travel internationally so that duty falls to me and the other assistant coaches."

"Well she's lucky to have you." Yuuri blurted out, his previous drinks were catching up to him now, causing Yuuri to not think so much before he spoke as a warm fuzzy feeling settled heavily in his limbs. 

Viktor smiled and Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up yet again.

"You flatter me Mr. Katsuki." Viktor cooed and took a sip from his drink.

"I mean you’re an incredibly talented skater, people must be begging you to be their coach." Yuuri added as he tried to defend his previous statement.

"Maybe when I first retired. Not so much now that I'm a has-been." Viktor said the words with humor but Yuuri could sense there was something more there.

Yuuri decided not to push the topic. The last thing he wanted to do while talking to his idol was to make him upset. It was quiet for a moment and Yuuri took another sip of his drink.               

"So what about you?" Viktor asked. "You're a coach, did you used to skate?"

Yuuri looked down at his glass and considered how he wanted to answer.

Did he want to tell him everything? The memories of his fall fresh in his mind, especially today. No he couldn't do that. It was too embarrassing to admit to a skating god that his career never really came to anything despite his hard work and his idolization of Viktor.

"Yes I skated, but I got injured and had to retire early." Yuuri said vaguely but it seemed to satisfy Viktor's curiosity and to Yuuri's surprise Viktor actually looked sympathetic.

“That’s too bad. It’s a tough sport on our bodies. It’s a miracle mine held out as long as it did.” Viktor said, mostly to himself than to Yuuri.

Yuuri was stunned to hear him admit that but he thought back to Viktor’s last competitive season. Viktor had won his fifth world championship the year before and everyone thought he would retire at the top. He was 28 then, already a grandpa in figure skating years but he decided to skate one more season. Lots of people speculated that he just couldn’t give up the sport, and they may have been right.

When the season started it was like something had changed in Viktor, like a light had gone off and there something was missing. He wasn’t landing his jumps as perfectly as before, with sloppy landings and dropping rotations. Yuuri remembered watching Viktor’s free program at the Grand Prix final on the grainy old television at the Ice Castle with Yukko and the girls. Viktor had barely qualified for the final which had shocked everyone in the sport. In his short program the previous day he had fallen twice, landing him in fifth place going into the free program.

Yet when he took the ice for his free program Yuuri could tell there was something special about to happen. The way Viktor carried himself to the center of the ice to start his program was nothing short of serene. There was a calmness about him that Yuuri noticed right away. After watching Viktor skate for so many years Yuuri was fairly confident that he could tell if Viktor’s skates were too tight just by watching him. It was like Viktor was in a world of his own, there was nothing but him and the ice. It was as if there was no one to impress, no media or fans telling him just to quit already.

The performance was flawless. The theme of the program was the story of his career. The music started out soft before turning into a loud and boisterous fanfare but as the second half of the program came the music became more intimate almost fragile. Watching it half a world away Yuuri felt tears well up in his eyes and he felt like his heart was about to burst right out of his chest.

This was Viktor’s farewell, his love letter to skating. The program was Viktor's way of saying goodbye to the sport that had given him everything. He finished the program with a quad toe loop, his signature and came to the last pose with his hands reaching above him for something just beyond his grasp. He received a standing ovation, the commentators were shouting in excitement, Viktor was back. Yet Viktor hardly seemed to care, he lowered his arms and left the rink refusing to smile and wave at the fans like he normally did. He walked right past his coach and went to the kiss and cry. When the scores came in Viktor was in first place, and he would remain in first place, earning his last gold medal.

Viktor would go on and get a bronze at Europeans and fifth at Worlds. But Viktor’s face after the Grand Prix had never left Yuuri’s mind, because what Yuuri remembered most from that performance was that afterward, Viktor had never looked so tired.

“But you coach now?” it was a redundant question but Yuuri wasn’t sure what else to say.

Viktor nodded and then laughed. “Yes, and I hardly had a choice. When I made the official statement that I was retiring, I had said I wanted to take some time off to figure out what was next for me. I managed to get away to a villa in Greece for about two weeks before coming back to Russia to find Yakov waiting for me. He practically dragged me back to the rink to start coaching.”

“That seems a bit harsh.” Yuuri commented lightly, not wanting over step into Viktor’s relationship with his old coach.

Viktor laughed again. “Well that’s Yakov for you. As much as I hate to admit it he has always known what’s best for me. If I followed through with what he says is another thing entirely. But I needed that push, if he hadn’t forced my hand I probably would have floated around aimlessly for years.”

Yuuri nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything.

“What about you?” Viktor asked. “How did you start coaching?”

Again Yuuri froze and wondered how to explain to Viktor that Yuuri was also practically forced into coaching to get him out of his own depression.

“Uh…my old friend needed someone to coach her daughters. Hasetsu, where I’m from, is not a very big place. So she asked me, and I’ve been coaching ever since.”

Viktor smiled, at first Yuuri thought it might be condescending but it was genuine.

“That’s sweet.” He said.

“Sometimes I feel more like her Uncle than her coach. She’s much more confident than I ever was as a skater.” Yuuri admitted.

Viktor laughed again and took a sip of his drink. “I saw her skate today, she puts on a very good show but she gets lost in it. Her technical score needs some work too.” Viktor commented and Yuuri felt embarrassment wash over him. 

Of course Viktor was right, Lutz unfortunately took after Yuuri more ways than he liked. Lutz had a strong personality that loved to come out when she skated but she had a tendency to get worked up and make mistakes on the finer details of a routine. But thankfully her stamina allowed her to keep up and finish strong. Yuuri knew there was nothing wrong about having flaws, every skater had them but irrationally he always felt it was a sign of his failure as a coach when they were pointed out.

“Your Inna did very good today too.” Yuuri mumbled before downing the rest of his drink and letting the burning sensation try and distract himself from his sinking self-esteem.

Viktor nodded. “Yes, she has a lot of skill but she lacks the emotional connection to the performance. There is only so far technical points can take you in this sport. Emotions aren’t something you can fake. People can tell.”

Yuuri was surprised to hear Viktor speak about his student so calculatedly. But again Viktor was right, Inna was able to land jumps with near perfection but when she got to the step sequences it looked like she was just going through the motions. But it had been enough to get her a silver medal earlier today.

Viktor glanced at his watched and looked surprised.

“Oh, it’s getting late.” He said and then looked over at Yuuri and smiled. “It was nice talking to you, maybe we'll see each other again at a competition. I have a feeling our girls have yet to see the last of each other.” He said this with a grin and reached over and clinked his glass with Yuuri’s empty one before bringing it back to his lips to finish it off.

Yuuri nodded in agreement, not really trusting himself not to say anything embarrassing after managing to have a decent conversation with his idol.

“Goodnight, Yuuri.” Viktor said in a low voice as he stood up from the bar stool, all while looking at Yuuri with a gazed that made him feel like he was being sized up.

But before Yuuri’s brain could send the proper signals to his mouth, Viktor was gone. Yuuri sat frozen in place unable to fully process what had happened. He just spent the last half hour talking with THE Viktor Nikiforov.

Yuuko and Minako were going to freak out when he got home.

Once Yuuri managed to snap out of his trance he paid his tab and headed up to his room.

Opening up the door as softly as he could, he fumbled around in the darkness as he took off his shoes and changed into his sleeping clothes. He did so as quietly as possible in the hope of not disturbing Lutz, who he could hear snoring softly from her bed. She was crabby when woken up unnecessarily and Yuuri wished to avoid that at all costs. His body practically melted into the bed, when he finally acknowledged how exhausted he was.

Before getting completely comfortable he looked over at Lutz who truly looked like the young 16 year old girl she was. In that moment he allowed himself to finally feel the pride that had been present all night, just underneath his many layers of anxiety. He let it well up inside him, as he thought back to the very first time he taught her, and her sisters to jump. She was the last one to get it down, but she never stopped trying. She fell over and over again until she got it. Yuuko had threatened to murder Yuuri when she saw all the bruises Lutz got from falling on the ice so many times.

She had come so far from the child she used to be then. There wasn’t a medal that came with 4th place, but it was still impressive, especially with such stiff international competition. Right before he finally fell asleep, Yuuri felt his anxiety finally subside as he realized no matter what he did, she was going to give whoever challenged her a hell of a fight.  

He also made sure to remind himself to tell Lutz about meeting Viktor, although part of him thought that maybe she wouldn’t believe him if he did.


	2. I Won't Make You

When Yuuri and Lutz arrived at the train station in Hasetsu, they both were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. It was early afternoon but the long day of travel and switching time zones was rough on them both. They tried sleeping on the airplane which was supposed to help when it came to combatting jet lag but it really just made for a pretty miserable travel day.

But their spirits were lifted when they stepped out into the main station where they were greeted by a chorus of “Welcome home!”

Yuuko and the girls were holding a sign covered in makers and glitter. Yuuri smiled, it was the same sign they had used for the last year or so. When Lutz first started traveling for competitions they would insist on making a new sign every time but as the competitions became more frequent Takeshi put his foot down and insist they start reusing them.

Lutz looked expectantly at Yuuri who nodded. A second later her bags hit the ground and she was off running to her sisters. Yuuri smiled and picked up her duffle bag and backpack and followed her.

"Mom!" Lutz shouted as Yuuri caught up to the rest of the group and got a quick hug from Axel and Loop. "You will never believe who Yuuri met last night!"

Yuuko looked confused and glanced at Yuuri who smirked back at her.

"Who?" She asked tentatively.

Yuuri smirk widened into a smug grin. "Viktor Nikiforov."

Yuuko's eyes widened. "What?! Are you serious?! You met THE Viktor Nikiforov."

Yuuri nodded and couldn’t help but smile at his old friend. It was cute to see her still so excited over their shared personal hero. It was like they were kids again pouring over the latest article about him in some magazine, before spending the entire afternoon speculating what his new programs were going to be like.

"Was he handsome? Was he charming? What did you talk about?" Yuuko began asking with unyielding excitement.

Yuuri laughed outright this time. There had been a time when she had been just as in love with him as Yuuri had been and he could see so clearly now where the girls got their excitable and obsessive personalities from.

"Yes, yes, and skating.” Yuuri said like it was obvious. “I don't think we have anything else in common. He did say that Lutz did great."

Yuuko squealed and pulled Lutz into a tight hug. Her daughter beamed but at the same time tried to squirm out of her mother’s grasp.

“You’re embarrassing me!” Lutz whined as her sisters giggled and started taking pictures of the scene in front of them, probably for future blackmail.

"That's so exciting. Viktor said you were great!" Yuuko exclaimed and let her daughter go.

Axel and Loop turned to Yuuri next and started asking questions.

“Did he look old?” “Did he get fat?” ” “Was he-”

“Enough the both of you!” Yuuko laughed. “Let’s go home.”

Yuuri tried to answer the triplet’s questions to the best of his ability as they walked into town, but there was only so much you can pick up about a person from a thirty minute conversation. When they finally made their way to Yu-topia, the lobby was empty and Yuuri was confused. But a second later they were greeted by what seemed like half the town squeezed into the inn’s modest banquet hall.

"Congratulations!" The chorus of people shouted. 

“I didn’t even get a medal!” Lutz shouted upon seeing everyone, her face lighting up in surprise.

“Doesn’t matter! You qualified to go to compete in seniors next year and that's reason to celebrate!” Minako shouted back, already with a drink in hand.

The party was nice but Yuuri was already exhausted and he wasn’t 20 anymore, so he ended up slipping away to sit outside in the front of the inn. He was enjoying the view of sun setting over the water, the last rays of the day managed to chase away most of the cold. It was just enough to not bother him much too much and he felt his eyes grow heavy.

“Are you seriously sleeping out here?”

Yuuri’s eyes shot open and saw Takeshi was leaning against the wall next to him with a grin.

“I was just resting my eyes.” Yuuri blurted out quickly.

“Yeah sure.” Takeshi said with a laugh before falling silent, it looked like he was choosing the words he was about to say very carefully. “Why don’t you come inside, me and Yuuko want to talk.”

Yuuri was confused by the sudden shift in Takeshi’s mood, but he stood up and followed him inside anyways. They made their way into Yuuri’s modest bedroom, where Yuuko and Lutz were already waiting. In the past ten years since returning home from training it hadn't changed much. When he had first returned he immediately took down all the posters of Viktor, it was too painful to look at them knowing he would never get a chance to skate with him again.

But when he started training the girls he dug up his favorite one, a blown up image from Viktor’s senior debut at the Grand Prix, and returned it to his wall. He hadn't had the heart to simply throw them away so he gave them to the girls who took them enthusiastically and put them on their own walls, eventually adding to them with posters of more current skaters through the years.

On his own walls Yuuri started to collect photos from the girls skating competitions, birthday parties, and trips with his family. The later ones included pictures of them on podiums a with medals around their necks. The one Yuuri had on his desk now was of Lutz winning gold at Junior Nationals the year before. All of them, including the now dated poster of Viktor kept him motivated to help Lutz be the best she could be.

Takeshi made a motion for Yuuri to sit next to Lutz who was already sitting on his bed. It felt like they were about to be lectured and he was incredibly uncomfortable. Everyone was quiet for a while, Takeshi and Yuuko just kept looking at each as if willing the other to speak first.

"We were thinking...that maybe Lutz has outgrown the Ice Castle." Takeshi said finally with a sigh.

The statement landed heavily in the room and the atmosphere seemed to get tense with the seriousness of the conversation.

"What?" Yuuri asked dumbly. He glanced at Lutz who was staring at her parents with an expression just as confused as Yuuri felt on the inside.

"We think it might be best if Lutz goes to train at a proper rink with a serious skate club. They’d have better equipment, more resources for her, even skaters her age who she can learn from.” Yuuko began to explain. “She has a real chance to go to the next Olympics, but she can't do that if she stays here."

The reality of what they were saying hit Yuuri like a ton of bricks and he could feel himself start to shut down. Lutz on the other hand perked up.

"You would do that? You would let me go abroad?” Lutz asked tentatively.

Yuuko nodded, Yuuri could tell that she was not happy about the idea but she did think that this was best.

“What about school? What about my friends? What about you?” She asked, getting more worked up.

“There are tutor’s that can work around your training, because you are going to continue with school.” Takeshi said sternly.

“You’ll make new friends, you’ve never had a problem with that.” Yuuko said with a laugh. “You will have to call regularly, that is non negotiable.”

Lutz jumped up from the bed and wrapped her arms around her parents. "Thank you!"

Yuuri sat on the bed feeling blood drain from his face. It felt like the world had stopped moving and an uncomfortable pressure started to build in his chest. This was his worst nightmare. He knew this day was coming eventually but he never thought it would be happening so soon. Yuuri had always imagined Lutz being the one to tell him their time was up.

“I…” Yuuri began but his voice caught and he had to clear his throat. “I can talk to my old coach…see if he knows anyone who wants to take on another skater.” Yuuri said almost robotically, his eyes unfocused staring at the wall behind Yuuko’s head.

“Yuuri, what are you talking about?” Yuuko asked softly.

“You want her to have a professional coach? You want her to train with a proper skate club?”

“Yes but Yuuri, Ice Castle may not have the resources to help her anymore, but you still need to be her coach.” Takeshi said.

“What?” Yuuri said and blinked several times as his vision started to focus again.

Yuuko walked over to Yuuri and hugged him where he sat on the bed, holding his head to her chest.

“You big dummy.” She said soft and affectionately, just loud enough for him to hear. “Yuuri, you’re the only coach she’s ever had. You know her better then anyone. Do you really think there is anyone out there that can do a better job than you?” Yuuko asked as she pulled away. 

Yuuri knew Yuuko meant well, but with a question like that Yuuri’s mind started to race with several answers to that question. But he knew not to say them.

“We wanted you to reach out to the contacts that you have from you’re skating days and see if there is a rink, maybe in the States, that has a spot open for her.” Takeshi explained.

“Ok, yeah, I have a few people I can call.” Yuuri said, still not fully back to himself. ”As long as you agree that this is what’s best.”

“It is!” Lutz insisted excitedly.

Yuuri finally laughed feeling some of the weight lift from his shoulders. “Ok, then it's settled.”

With the air cleared, Yuuri explained that he would make a few calls over the next few days to some people he knew from his brief professional skating days, to ask if they had any spots open for a skater and her anxious and incompetent coach.

Lutz hesitated turned to Yuuri as her parents walked out of the room. She looked nervous, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about what was on her mind.

“Would you really quit as my coach so easily?” she finally asked.

Yuuri felt like the wind was knocked out of him and immediately regretted any doubt he had earlier. He sighed and looked at her.

“I will stay with you until you no longer need me.” Yuuri promised as he gently held her hands in his.

“That’ll never happen.” She countered with a smile.

“Then I’ll always be there.” Yuuri said.

Lutz gave him a quick hug before going back to the party.

* * *

 

In the end it only took one phone call to Yuuri’s old coach from college, Celestino. It just so happened there was an opening at Yuuri’s old rink in Detroit. Apparently some of the older skaters had just decided to retire. So the decision was an easy one, Yuuri already knew the area and the rink. Just like that plans were made to make the big move two weeks after the Junior Worlds in March.

The rest of the season went by quickly after that with the impending move lingering over their head. Despite all that was going on, Lutz ended the season strong with a silver at the Junior Worlds. The Russian skater, Inna Morozov was there too and managed to take gold, with a score that was several points above Lutz’s personal best.

Yuuri would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to the competition in hopes that he would see Viktor again. It was silly and childish of course, and it was doubtful that Viktor even remembered their conversation, let alone his name. But when he saw the Russian skaters in their red and white jackets he was somehow disappointed and relieved at the same time to not see a head of familiar silver hair among them. Yuuri realized the chance that he would ever see Viktor again were very low.

Eventually the day came, it was cloudy making, the early hour seem even drearier. Yuuri’s stuff had been packed up a few days ago and shipped off to America. Before he left to join Lutz to head to the airport he had to say his goodbyes to his own family.

Mari and his father didn’t say much, they just gave him a big hug and made him promise to call more often than he did when he had left for school all those years ago.

When he got to his mother his throat got tight when he could see tears in her eyes.

“Mom-” he began but she cut him off and grabbed his hands in hers.

“When you came back after your injury, we thought you’d be home for good.”

Yuuri felt guilt weigh heavy in his stomach. He didn’t like that he was having to leave them again, and again not knowing when he would return.

His mother continued, “But I was also sad to see you, knowing why you had to come home.”

Yuuri looked up at his mother in surprise.

“This was your dream Yuuri, your passion. Your father and I never fully understood all of the skating stuff but what we did understand was that it made you happy. I just want you to know that even though you may be leaving again, this will always be your home and just know we understand why you have to leave.”

Yuuri wrapped his arms around his mother and held her close.

“Thank you.” He said softly. Yuuri didn’t think he could ever find a way to express how much their support meant to him.

His mother pulled away and pointed her finger at him. “And this time it’s not just you, you have to worry about. That girl is a handful and you need look out for her.”

“Yes, mother.” He said with a smile.

With those goodbyes out of the way Yuuri walked suitcase in hand to the Nishigori house. It was so early that only a handful of shops were open, but Yuuri made a point to wave to the shop keepers as he went. Telling them good morning as he took his time trying to take in all the details of the town. It was a walk he had made hundreds if not thousands of times but there was something about it being the last time, at least for a while that made him want to savor it.

When Yuuri made it to the Nishigori house he immediately knew that something was off. It lacked the morning chaos he usually heard when he came by in the mornings. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a very tired looking Takeshi.

“Hey Yuuri.” His said quietly.

“How are the girls doing?” Yuuri asked in a hushed voice as well.

“Yuuko is putting on a strong face for the girls but I know she’s upset. The triplets were up almost all night talking and crying. I don't think anyone got much sleep.”

Yuurin nodded in understanding. “How about you? How are you holding up?”

Takeshi grinned at Yuuri but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I'm alright. The hardest part is not knowing when we’re going to see her again. It could be a few months, or it could be a few years. We can’t just go visit her and she needs to focus on training. You can never really prepare for that as a parent. I don’t know how your parents did it when you left.”

Yuuri felt that familiar guilt settle in his stomach again, he was starting to recognize a common topic this morning.

“I won’t let her do what I did, Takeshi. We’ll come home during the next off seasons I promise.”

Takeshi looked thankful and rested his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder as they walked inside the house.

When Yuuri walking into the Nishigori’s cramped kitchen he almost wanted to laugh. The scene wasn’t particularly funny but it was in such contrast to what most mornings here looked like. On a normal morning the triplets would be arguing about something while Yuuko scolded them to please stop and eat their breakfast so they could get to school on time. Then Takeshi would lovingly laugh before kissing Yuuko on the cheek and ushering the girls off to school as he left to open the rink for the day.

But today was not a normal morning. The kitchen was silent and Minako was there talking quietly to Yuuko while the girls quietly sat at the table all looking sad and tired.

“Good morning, Yuuri.” Minako greeted him as he walked into the kitchen. 

“Good morning everyone.” Yuuri said, although no one responded.

“Well, I guess it’s time to get moving. There’s a plane to catch.” Takeshi said with fake cheer.

If the kitchen was quiet the ride to the airport was even worse, the only sound was coming from the radio that was turned down low. The sun was just breaking through the clouds when they arrived and all piled out of the van. When they made it to security gate they knew it was time to say their final goodbyes.

Yuuri stood off to the side to let the family have their moment. Minako turned to him and gave him a hug.

“It’s weird doing this again.” She said when she pulled away.

“Just admit you’re disappointed you’re losing your best student again.” Yuuri teased.

Minako smirked. “You wish. Besides Loop has definitely established herself as my top student now.”

“Well, I guess that's fair. I knew I would be replaced one day.”

“Yuuri, you could never be replaced.” She said softly and placed her hand on his cheek.

He took a moment to really look at Minako. She was still beautiful but she was finally starting to show her age, with delicate wrinkles forming around her eyes. Her body was still held the grace of a dancer but she could no longer dance like she used to. But she was still the best ballet instructor he had ever met.

“If I can do for her even half of what you did for me, I will consider myself lucky. I don’t think I ever thanked you for introducing me to skating.” Yuuri said, suddenly getting sentimental. 

 “You’re going to America, not dying. Don’t be dramatic.” She laughed. "And you already have. If you realize it or not."

Yuuri smiled as Minako moved to say her goodbye to Lutz.

Yuuko turned to Yuuri now with tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight before he could squirm away. She simply held him there in a bone crushing hug for a while.

“Last time you were gone, you didn’t come back for 5 years.” She said into his chest. He felt his body relax as his discomfort was replaced with guilt for what felt like the hundredth time this morning. He had not been the most considerate son or friend when he went away.

“I know.” Yuuri admitted softly and returned Yuuko’s hug.

“Don’t you dare do that again, don’t let her do that.” Yuuko said softly.

Yuuri nodded, “I promise. You know I love her like my own. I'll look after her and keep her safe, and most importantly I will make sure she calls you at least once a week.” He said solemnly like a vow.

Yuuko laughed and wiped her tears away. “Good.”

Before Yuuri could realize what was happening he was flanked on both side by Axel and Loop who wrapped their arms around his waist. Yuuri was beginning to lose track of how many times he had been hugged in the last couple of hours.

“Yuuri!” They whined in unison.

“We’re going to miss you.” Axel said.

“What are we going to do without you?” Loop asked mournfully.

Yuuri felt his throat tighten uncomfortably. He had managed not to cry this morning but now being hugged by two girls he watched grow up made throat tighten and tears threaten overflow in the corner of his eyes.

 “I’m going to miss you too.” He said and made sure to look both of them. “You have to promise to be good, and don’t cause your parents too much trouble because I won’t be to save you from them.”

“Ok, but you do know you’re going to have to give us all the dirt you find on other skaters.” Axel said looking at Yuuri seriously.

“Yeah and we expect updates after every competition.” Loop agreed.

“We have a reputation to uphold online and I expect that to continue.” Axel continued.

Yuuri laughed, feeling his emotions calm down again. “I don’t remember agreeing to that but I’ll do my best.”

They nodded reluctantly and let him go after another squeeze.

Yuuri looked to Lutz and her cheeks and eyes were red.

“Lutz?” he said softly so the rest of their group wouldn’t overhear. “We don’t have to go. It’s not too late.”

At that she looked up at him, her face determined despite the fact that her eyes were still puffy.

“I’m ready.” She said, and there was a fire in her eyes that made Yuuri’s guilt that had been growing all morning, fade just a bit.

This was what she wanted, this was something she needed to do. And with that settled they waved one last time before going through security and arriving at their gate. By the time they sat down Lutz was already talking to Yuuri about music for her short program as she pulled out her phone and dragging Yuuri into a selfie to post online.She wanted everyone to know she was moving onto something more.


	3. Will You Return

Detroit was not the same city Yuuri remembered from his college days. The city was just starting to rebuild some of its more run down areas when Yuuri lived there and now it was like a completely different place.

The rink was located near a college campus which offered tutors for Lutz to continue her education in a way that worked around her training schedule. Lutz had a habit of prioritizing skating over school, not like Axel who actually liked being in class. But Yuuri couldn’t blame her, he never had a hard time in school but he never applied himself either.

They had also managed to get an apartment that was in walking distance from the rink. It had two bedrooms, a modest kitchen and living room. Lutz was ecstatic about the place. She was able to have her own room for the first time in her life. At home she shared a room with her sisters and whenever they traveled she would have to share a room with Yuuri to reduce expenses. Yuuri couldn’t lie, he also was enjoying having his own place.

They had started training immediately when they arrived and it was going well, Lutz had adjusted to the new surroundings easily. In Hasetsu, she was the only competitive skater at the rink since her sisters quit. Now she was one of many and she was soaking up everything she could from them. Everything she learned up until now was from Yuuri or watching other skaters online. There was no doubt in Yuuri’s mind that moving was the right decision.

It was still early in the off season but with Lutz’s senior debut coming up in the fall there was no time to slow down or take a break. Most days were spent working on strength training and ballet on top of practice on the ice, all while starting to plan for the next seasons programs. The previous night Lutz had found a jazzy number she wanted to do for her short program. Yuuri liked the piece, it was high energy and fast, it suited her style. 

The sun was shining bight in the sky, making them sweat in the early summer heat. Lutz was talking nonstop about anything and everything, the conversation eventually dissolved into rambling about the other skaters at the rink and their coaches. Yuuri hated to admit he was not good at remembering names or faces, which made socializing with the others at the rink a little tricky. At least his English was good. Yuuri had been teaching the girls for years but in the last couple years of serious competitions Lutz had also become fluent which made it easy to leave the socializing to her. 

His mind started to wander as they walked, thinking about the short program, the choreography and costumes, and about a dozen other things. By the time they reached the rink Yuuri had a to-do list a mile long running through his head but the moment he stepped inside the building and his eyes adjusted from the bright sun outside, the list was gone and the world seemed to have come to a screeching halt.

Standing in the lobby of the rink stood a tall man with silver hair, wearing a Russian team jacket and sunglasses pushed on top his head. Next to him stood a teenage girl with long blonde hair, Yuuri recognized her as the girl who had won silver at the Junior Grand Prix and won gold at Junior Worlds.

Yuuri had never expected to see him again and now his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest.

“Isn’t that Viktor Nikiforov?” Lutz asked, in a stage whisper as Viktor glanced in their direction. There was a brief moment of eye contact before recognition flashed over Viktor's face and he smiled and waved at them. 

Yuuri didn’t answer but it was. It was definitely him.

* * *

 

Viktor checked his watch for the fifth time in just as many minutes.

His entire body felt heavy, international travel was not as kind to his body as it was when he was young. It had been only three hours since he and Inna had landed in America. They only had time to drop their stuff at the hotel before they had to be at the rink they would be training at for the upcoming season. The hotel was a temporary solution until they could find a more permanent living situation.

Viktor had been to the States countless times over the years but it was his first time in Detroit. He couldn’t tell if it was the lack of sleep and jet lag that was making his stomach churn or if it was the reality of being in a foreign country and doing something that everyone had advised him not to do. Viktor could sense someone was staring at him and he glanced toward the entrance of the lobby. He was surprised to see a man and a girl Inna’s age standing there, staring back at him. Must be fans, he figured but the longer he looked at them the more they started to seem familiar.

The staring contest continued until it finally clicked and Viktor recognized them. What was his name, Yuuri? That was it, Yuuri Katsuki and the girl must be Lutz Nishigori. She had an odd name but was incredibly talented. But what was a Japanese skater and her coach doing at a rink in Detroit?

Viktor smiled and waved at the now familiar faces.

Yuuri seemed to be surprised at the acknowledgement and he looked to Lutz. Viktor couldn’t tell for sure but he thought he could see Yuuri saying something to her. She just shrugged and Yuuri looked back over to Viktor and returned Viktor’s smile timidly and started to walk over.

“Hello, nice to see you again.” Yuuri said, he was clearly uncomfortable and Viktor had no idea why.

“Yes it is.” Viktor said with a charming grin before asking. “Sorry to be so forward but what are you doing here?”

Yuuri looked surprised at the question but recovered quickly. “Well ah, Lutz is making her senior debut this coming season and the rink back home couldn’t support her anymore.”

“I see, but how did you end up here of all places?”

“I trained here years ago actually. I reached out to an old coach and he told me they had room available here and they graciously took us in.” Yuuri explained. 

So Yuuri’s skating took him all the way to America? Viktor considered his answer.

“I could ask the same of you, Viktor. Detroit is a long way from Russia.” Yuuri said, his curiosity clear in his voice.

Viktor chuckled. “It is. After last season, I decided to take Inna on as my student and Russia was starting to feel a little crowded.” It wasn't the whole story and he knew his answer sounded cryptic but Yuuri thankfully wasn't the kind to pry for information.

Yuuri nodded and an awkward silence settled between them. Lutz cleared her throat at his side, directing the attention toward her.

“I’m Lutz Nishigori, it’s very nice to meet you.” She said sweetly and held her hand out to Viktor.

Viktor smiled and shook Lutz’s hand gently. “It is very nice to meet you too. You were very impressive at the Junior Grand Prix, I’m excited to see more of you soon.”

Lutz’s smile lit up her face. “That means alot coming from you, Mr. Nikiforov.”

“Please, you can call me Viktor.” He insisted. 

Inna sighed heavily at Viktor’s side and Lutz turned her attention to her fellow competitor.

“You must be Inna Morozov.” Lutz said as she looked at the other skater. “I hope we get a chance to skate together while you’re here.”

“Why?” Inna asked bluntly as she narrowed her eyes.

“Inna.” Viktor said in a warning tone. He knew Inna did not have the sunniest disposition but he hadn’t expected her to be outright rude to one of her peers.

“What?” She snapped at Viktor. “We’re not friends. Why would I want to skate with you?”

Lutz’s jaw dropped momentarily before closing it and narrowing her eyes right back at the Russian skater.

“I just don’t like skating with strangers.” Inna said stiffly as if that excused her response.

Viktor cleared his throat as a signal for her to continue to which she blatantly rolled her eyes.

“And I’m sorry if I offended you.” She said lamely.

“You know what? You-” Lutz said and took a step closer to Inna.

Yurri laughed nervously and placed a hand on Lutz’s shoulder to pull her back before she could finish her statement.

“Well ah, it was nice seeing you again. Our practice time starts soon, maybe we’ll see you around. ” He said quickly and started to walk away.

“Yes, I hope so.” Viktor called after him and waved, not wanting to leave on an uncomfortable note. Yurri waved and smiled back at him before turning a corner and out of sight.

He turned to Inna. “What was that?”

Inna shrugged and wouldn’t look him in the eyes. “She doesn’t want to skate with me, she was just saying that to act like she cared. I don’t have time for that.”

“Maybe she did want to be your friend?” Viktor suggested.

“Yeah right. So she can steal my routine? Or post pictures of me when I fall? I don't need that.” 

Viktor wanted to brush off her concerns again since they were so ridiculous. But looking at Inna he could tell they were real to her. There was something in the way she spoke that made Viktor drop the subject for now. It would have to be a conversation for another day, he didn’t have time to dive into the inner workings of a teenage girl's mind right now. Thankfully the person they were meeting showed up and they were given a tour of the facility.

But Viktor’s mind quickly went elsewhere. He couldn’t stop thinking about Yuuri and he couldn’t quite explain the rush of excitement he had felt at seeing the other man. He remembered their conversation at the Junior Grand Prix it had been brief but…nice. Yuuri had flattered him, obviously being an old fan. When Viktor had watched him walk away it was almost comforting knowing there was a friendly face around. Or at least he hoped it would remain friendly if he could keep Inna from having a say in it.

* * *

 

Inna's practice started the next day, and there was no time to waste. Inna was making her senior debut and Viktor’s credibility as a coach was on the line. But in this moment his anxiety that had been hanging over his head since leaving Russia was now being overshadowed by sheer frustration. Viktor grit his teeth and breathed heavily out his nose. Why did Viktor ever think this was a good idea?

Inna was a beautiful skater, yes. She even had a technical precision beyond her years but she also had an attitude. Viktor had never seen a skater with such a sour disposition since the day he first met Yuri Plisetskiy, before Inna was even born. Her attitude was notorious back at their home rink in Russia. None of the other skaters would voluntarily practice with her.

He sighed and lowered his head into his hands as Yuri’s words echoed in Viktor’s head, _“You’re a useless coach, Vitya. The only reason Yakov kept you around is because you had nowhere else to go.”_

Deep down Viktor knew Yuri only said those things in anger and in an attempt to make him stay, but there was some truth to them. He was a terrible coach, he had technically been an assistant coach for years but he never had any kind of real responsibility under Yakov. He was honestly barely more than a babysitter for most the skaters he worked with back in Russia. He never knew what advice to give, when to be supportive, or when to be harsh. Every skater was different and needed different things and Viktor could never keep up with it all. 

Inna started the run through of her short program from the top, they were working out choreography and it was not going well. Viktor could tell by the stiffness in her shoulders that this time would be no better than the last several times she had tried the routine.

“Inna, try and relax your body. Your movements will be more fluid that way, and it’ll help you build up speed.” Viktor instructed.

She shot him a fierce look, her face was framed by strands of blonde hair that had fallen from the tight braid it was tied back in. She was a beautiful girl, if only she wouldn’t scowl so much.

Despite the stubborn set to her jaw, he watched her let out a deep breath and roll her shoulders, trying to loosen the muscles. But it wasn’t enough, and just as he expected when she reached the first jump, a triple axel, she wasn’t up to speed and had to drop a rotation, making it a double. Viktor let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding while Inna powered through the rest of the program, her movements angry and harsh.

Viktor couldn’t keep his mind from thinking about what Yakov would do if he were here. Yakov would shout till he turned purple, make her do the jump a hundred times until it was perfect, but Viktor didn’t have the heart for that. But part of him thought that was exactly what Inna needed.

Yakov had already been an old man when he had taken on Viktor as a student. Now, many years later, the long days at the rink were taking a toll on his aging body and he had finally agreed to retire. Right after Russian Nationals he made the announcement. Some people cried, others thought it was long overdue, but everyone was left to wonder who was going to take over now.

After the announcement Yakov told Viktor to follow him into his office. Viktor knew what was coming and he felt the dread start to crawl up his spine before settling heavily on his shoulders and in the pit of his stomach. Yakov’s office had always held a bit of mystery, if you were lucky you would never have to enter. Viktor had spent many long afternoons in that room.

“Vitya.” Yakov said in a surprisingly kind voice as he sat down behind his desk. The walls of the office were covered in award plaques, newspaper clippings in several languages, and photographs that spanned several decades.  “I’m sure you know why I’ve brought you in here.”

“I suppose I do.” Viktor said, keeping his eyes fixed on a picture of himself that hung right behind Yakov’s head. It was from his junior days, when his hair was long and he had his whole career still ahead of him. 

“Well,” Yakov prompted. “What do you say?” Not even bothering with the formalities of actually offering him the job in so many words. 

Viktor didn’t respond right away and considered his next words carefully.

How do you disappoint a man that practically raised you? How do you destroy his dream of passing his legacy down to someone he trusts enough to take on his life’s work? Viktor knew Yakov wanted him to be a new and improved Yakov, to take the next generation of Russian figure skaters above and beyond even Viktor’s impressive career.

“Yakov, you have too much faith in me.” Viktor said at first, it was easier to say than the truth.

“Nonsense. I know it is an intimidating job, but we have a team here. You’ll learn with time, you’re still young.” He insisted, sounding almost wistful.

Viktor was quiet again his gut churning with nerves as he built up the courage to say the next words.

“I’ve started looking for other jobs. Mostly choreography, less coaching.” Viktor blurted out, the words landing heavily between them.

To his surprised, Yakov just leaned back in his chair his with a heavy sigh, his face was hard and unreadable. The room was silent but Yakov didn’t look surprised, he looked disappointed and that made Viktor’s chest tighten uncomfortably.

“When did you find out?” He said in a neutral tone.

“Not long.” Viktor admitted with a sigh. “I overheard you talking to Lila about retirement before Nationals.”

“So you knew this was coming? You knew what plans I had for you?” Yakov asked, his emotions were still unreadable and it made Viktor’s heart beat faster.

“Of course I knew.” Viktor said softly.

He sighed. “Vitya I don’t understand.”

Viktor finally looked him in the eyes and regretted it. Yakov’s age showed so clearly, just as clearly as his thinly veiled sadness. It was an expression he had never seen on his coach’s face before, not after his divorce, not after any of the tragedies in Yakov's life Viktor had beared witness to. 

“You know my heart has never been in coaching, I don’t have the passion for it. I cannot be what you have been to so many, there has to be someone else.” He said and averted his eyes again.

Eventually after a few moments of consideration, Yakov let out another heavy sigh, “I still do not understand.” He began and Viktor realized he was breaking Yakov’s heart. “But I can accept your decision.” He finished.

Viktor wanted to start over, to explain more clearly but he doubted he could ever get the older man to understand why he couldn’t in good consciousness take the job. He could never explain that while he loved skating, he did not love coaching, not the way Yakov did. Viktor couldn’t let himself get trapped by the responsibilities as a head coach of a world class facility. He knew he would grow to resent it, he would grow to hate it and that would be the biggest insult to Yakov’s legacy he could think of, as one of the best coaches in Russian skating history. Protecting that legacy was worth breaking Yakov’s heart, at least that is what Viktor tried to tell himself.

In the end Viktor settled for saying, “Thank you.” 

“If you decide to leave, just know you will always have a home here.” He said it with such compassion and understanding, something he rarely saw from Yakov in the past thirty years, it made his heart feel heavy in his chest. But Viktor was confident in his decision and nodded before leaving the office.

When Viktor closed the door to the office behind him, he was unsurprised to see Yuri waiting in the hallway, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. With the same attitude he carried with him since his junior days.

“Should I start calling you coach now?” he asked with a smug grin but Viktor knew there was halfhearted excitement behind his words.

Viktor had heard the rink doctors talking, Yuri’s knees and hips were deteriorating rapidly, probably from performing quads like a mad man for a decade. Yuri had just won gold at Nationals but Viktor knew the pain he must have been in. Viktor figured Yuri was just toying with people’s expectations, letting the speculation of his retirement build to chaotic levels, before finally announcing his retirement while still on top. It was something he resented Viktor for not doing ten years ago. 

 _“Did you really think you could keep up old man?”_ he had said, he was much younger then and didn’t understand how hard it was to say goodbye to the ice. _“Why don’t you spare us all the embarrassment of watching you fail? "_

Viktor frowned and shook his head. “There will be no need for that.”

Yuri was surprised and stood up straight, letting his cool facade drop. “What? He choose someone else, is the old man mad?” he accused and started to march toward Yakov's office. 

Viktor grabbed his arm before he got to far and just shook his head. "No he didn't choose anyone else, at least not yet."

Yuri was silent for a moment. “You mean he offered you the position and you turned him down?” Yuri asked, half in disbelief and half in annoyance, his voice growing louder.

“Yes.” Viktor said calmly and let go of his arm as he tried to walk past Yuri.

“Why?” Yuri shouted and followed Viktor down the hall. 

“Because I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be in Russia.” He admitted. 

Yuri looked like he had been slapped in the face and Viktor understood. He knew that leaving would not just be a betrayal to Yakov but to Yuri too. Over the years Viktor had come to love the younger skater like a brother. Yuri had continued to argue with him and tell him that he was a traitor to Russia and that he would never be welcomed home again. It was in very stark contrast to how Yakov had taken the news but Viktor took all of Yuri’s insults knowing it was just the way the younger skater expressed his emotions.

Lots of things would be changing and Yuri had never liked change much.

But Viktor knew he couldn’t explain to Yuri the same way he couldn’t explain to Yakov, they just wouldn’t understand that with Yakov retiring he could no longer pretend he was content here. Ever since he had stopped skating he had felt lost and uninspired. Coaching was a natural thing for skaters to do once they could no longer compete themselves. So that’s what he had done and for the past ten years he had been waiting for it to click but in his heart he feared it never would.

A week later Yuri finally announced his retirement and that he would be taking over Yakov's position as head coach.

Viktor quietly continued looking for jobs elsewhere, hoping that maybe a change of scenery would make him feel inspired again. He was a has-been by most standards, but his name and his accomplishments did still carry some weight.

But that all came to a screeching halt one day in late March. That morning he was interrupted unceremoniously as he walked into the rink for the day.

“Viktor, I need to talk to you.” Commanded one of the younger female skaters. She stood stiffly with a serious expression on her face, she remained impassive and made it difficult to ignore her.

He had only talked to Inna a few times until that moment, despite escorting her to the Junior Grand Prix a few months prior. Although her reputation preceded her, as standoffish and a loner, she had risen up the ranks at the rink to become one of the best skaters there.

“Sure.” Viktor said tentatively, he was concerned about what exactly she wanted from him. He really hoped it wasn’t a love confession, it had happened twice before and it was terribly awkward each time.  

“I heard you were leaving? Is that true?” she asked bluntly.

Viktor was surprised at her forwardness but also wanted to groan. This was worse than he though. It was like the walls in this place were full of holes, there was no such thing as a secret here. 

“Ah...I haven’t decided yet.” Viktor admitted weakly and glanced around to see if anyone was around who could possibly overhear their conversation. 

“Take me with you.” She said with a fierceness that he never would have expected from her.

“What?” 

“You need to be my coach.” She insisted, not elaborating beyond that.

“Trust me you are better off here.” Viktor said with a small laugh that was in very stark contrast to the seriousness of Inna’s expression.

“No!” She said firmly as her voice raised slightly, there was a fire in her eyes and Viktor was starting to really look at her. She was a bit taller than most skaters and had sharp angular features that gave her an ethereal look, but it was her eyes that really captured him. The were eyes that were sharp and focused, like some kind of bird of prey. It made her look dangerous.

He felt something stir inside him, something that had laid dormant for quite some time. He was about to say something but she cut him off.

“I have nothing here.” Inna said, keeping her eyes locked onto his.

“I’m sure that’s not true-” He began but was cut off.

“It is. I make my senior debut next season and I want to win.”

“Is that so?” Viktor said with a grin.

She did not appreciate that.

“I have to, and you are my best shot. You were a legend in your day and your choreography is still unparalleled by anyone.” She said even more determined than before.

Viktor was about to accuse her of trying to flatter him but it was clear that she was not.

“Where you go, I go.” She said commanded finally. The set of her jaw was confident as she looked Viktor directly in the eyes.

She would not beg but there was a hunger in her eyes. Viktor felt the tingle of excitement that had fluttered to life in his chest make the hair on his arms stand up. Her intensity was truely something to behold.

He wanted her to win, and he wanted to make it happen.

“Ok.” He said. “I’ll be your coach.”

But the reality was, if Viktor was going to do this it couldn’t be in Russia. If he wanted to finally make a name for himself it couldn’t be with the skate club in Russia. Viktor had to call in several favors before he was directed to a rink in Detroit that had a space available. Then came the hard part, convincing Inna’s parents.

Inna had given him an address, a time, and the instruction to bring wine, something expensive, something French. When he arrived he was convinced there had been some kind of mistake. He pulled into the drive way and his jaw dropped, the house was one of the largest he had ever seen. After he parked his car he made his way up to the front door and managed to feel under dressed in his sport coat and dark jeans, even though he was simply there to discuss becoming Inna’s coach.

When Viktor knocked on the door it was promptly answered by a butler, he was an older man with a balding head and a bushy mustache. He welcomed Viktor and took the wine and brought him to a sitting room that was just as extravagantly decorated as the house would lead you to believe. Viktor tried to keep the wine with him but the butler had slipped it out of his hand so fast he hardly registered it and he was left alone in the room to wait.

Viktor was no stranger to wealth, he still had quite a bit saved from the advertisement and endorsement deals he had when he was younger, thanks to Yakov who insisted he hire an accountant. But this place was beyond.

A few minutes later Inna and her mother walked into the room. Viktor stood up and turned on his charm and smiled as he introduced himself to Inna’s mother. She was not impressed. Viktor noted that the apple did not in fact fall far from the tree with Inna, and he could see the physical resemblance immediately. Inna’s mother tall, slim and had the same icy blonde hair and angular features as her daughter.

“Hello, Mr. Nikiforov.” Her mother said and held her hand out to him.

“It’s very nice to meet you. Please, call me Viktor.” He said and took her hand and placed a chased kiss on it.

“I think we’d like to keep things fairly formal for now.” She said briskly and removed her hand from his quickly before motioning for him to sit down.

“As you wish.” He said and sat down, feeling embarrassment was over him. But he brushed it off quickly and looked at Inna who looked at him with a slightly horrified expression.

He simply shrugged at her and asked, “Is your husband joining us?”

“Yes he should be here shortly, he had an important business call.” She explained.

Inna and her mother sat across from him, and an awkward silence filled the room. He spared a glance at Inna again who was now staring at him, her expression was unreadable. She was wearing a sensible dress, and Viktor thought to himself it might have been the first time he saw her in anything that was for something other than skating.

Suddenly Inna’s father entered the room and when he did, Viktor immediately saw where Inna got her eyes. They were the same piercing blue as his daughter’s.

“Ah, hello Mr. Nikiforov. It’s nice to meet you. Inna’s told us a lot about you.”

“All good I hope.” Viktor said as he stood up to greet the man with a good natured chuckle and a hand shake. He glanced at Inna whose ears were now pink.

“I hear you want to take our daughter to train in America.” Her father said once he was seated next to his wife and gave Viktor tight lipped grin that didn't reach his eyes.

“Yes sir, she is a promising skater and I’m trying to make a name for myself as a coach. She is by far the best prospect I’ve seen yet.”

He caught Inna’s expression and she grinned ever so slightly. Viktor was really laying it on thick but it was the only way to make his case.

“What makes you think you’ll be the one to take her to the top of the podium? What better chances does she have with you?” Her father asked.

“More attention. I will be able to focus all my attention on her and developing her skills as a skater.” Viktor said and felt confident with that response.

But her father gives Viktor a patronizing smile before asking, “I guess my question should be phrased, what makes you so special?”

“I am a five time world champion.” Viktor begins but he is cut off.

“Ten years ago.” He added.

Viktor paused, realizing he needed to choose his next words carefully. A faint smile finds its way to his lips and he takes a deep breath before continuing. “I have lived and breathed figure skating for my entire life, over thirty years, and I have never seen a skater with the kind of drive and ambition that your daughter does.” Things were going well and Viktor took another deep breath before continuing with his plea.

“She is a technically proficient skater but she lacks performance skills, I can help her with that. I have been choreographing wining programs for years. You let her train with me and I promise you she will win.” By the time Viktor finishes he has worked himself up and he looked at Inna’s father intently.

“Can I hold you to that?” He says after a few moments of silence.

“Yes.” Viktor said firmly.

He could see that he was considering what Viktor had proposed, with a heavy heart he realized there was one more thing he could say to win over Inna's father. "Besides now that Yuri Plisetsky is taken over for Yakov Feltsman is she really better off. Yuri is untested as a coach and I've been doing this for years."

He narrowed his eyes and seemed to consider Viktor’s words, “Alright, you’ll have one season. She wins a gold, she can stay and train with you.”

And just like that the deal was made. Less than a month later Viktor and Inna flew to Detroit to start training, leaving a pretty big mess behind them. If Viktor thought Yuri’s reaction to him turning down Yakov was a storm. Yuri’s reaction to Viktor turning down Yakov, and then proceeding to steal one of his strongest skaters, only to move half way across the world was like a nuclear bomb going off.

The words echoed in his head again, “ _You’re a useless coach, Vitya.”_

It was probably true but he couldn’t think about that now. Viktor checked the time and their practice time was almost up.

“Inna, that’s all for today.” Viktor called out, deciding to end the practice a little early.

Inna took a cool down lap around the rink before skating over to Viktor, hands on her hips while he waited at the barrier holding her skate guards.

“Inna, you want to win gold, yes?” Viktor asked her as she put on her skate guards.

“Of course.” She said shortly, still annoyed about her difficulty in practice.

“Then why don’t you relax out there?”

Inna just stood tight lipped and shrugged.

Viktor sighed.

“I can’t help you unless you tell me what is wrong.”

Inna bit her lip like she was fighting what she was going to say, “I’m just nervous.” She mumbled. “I don’t like being on a new rink.”

Viktor was pretty certain she was lying or at least holding back, but the fact that she told him anything was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you got some of Viktor's pov this time, and some flashbacks. Hopefully you liked it, not very practiced when it comes to writing flashbacks but I think it came out alright. The pov will probably flip around from chapter to chapter or even within a single chapter so I'll try and be as clear as I can with that.
> 
> I'm really excited to write this story so please let me know what you think so far!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Summer in the City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Viktor get to know each other and Viktor gossips with a 16 year old girl. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pretty pumped for this chapter but quick comment, so this story takes 10 years later than the show’s canon which is present day. So idk what the future will be like especially in terms of lgbt+ rights, and I know the YOI universe is totally chill with the gay but I wanted this to be set more in the real world, so long story short there is a small mention of Russia and Japan’s current views on the subject and then a speculation of what those might be in 10 years. 
> 
> This is probably way more long winded than this needed to be but oh well.

“Yuri! Skate with me!” Lutz whined at him as she started her warm ups.

Yuuri laughed before saying a firm. “No.”

“Please.” She whined again as she skated past him before turning around to face him as she skated backwards and continued to beg, “It’s been weeks since you’ve skated with me.”

It was true. They had been in Detroit almost two months and Yuuri had only skated with her a couple of times. She didn’t know that he kept up his old habit of skating after hours to clear his head and he didn’t want to admit it but he didn’t like skating during normal hours. It felt like there were too many eyes on him, especially in the afternoons when there is always other skaters and coaches hanging around. But right now, in the early morning when the rink was quiet except for them, Yuuri considered it.

“But I need help on my step sequences.” She said finally as she skated up to Yuuri with a grin on her face.

Yuuri sighed, and she won. 

“Alright, fine.” He said defeated.

“Yes!” She shouted and gave a little hop.

Yuuri grabbed his skates and knee brace out of his bag and put them on. He took his time, moving just slow enough to annoy Lutz, who was waiting for him impatiently.

“Hurry up old man!” She complained.

“It’s these old bones, they can't go very fast." He teased before standing up and heading toward the entrance of the ice.

He took a tentative step on the slick surface, testing out his bad knee before joining Lutz as they warmed up with some laps around the rink. After a few minutes of that Yuuri was ready and wordlessly they both skated over to one end of the rink. Lutz stood behind Yuuri so she would have a clear view of Yuuri’s feet. Yuuri counted down “three…two….one” and they started.

Yuuri went through the movements of the step sequence she was having problems with at a painfully slow pace, while Lutz followed along behind him. They went through it once and he sped up the movements, gaining speed as they went. By the time they were halfway across the rink they were up to performance speed of the routine but still they continued going faster and faster until they were skating at a comically fast pace.

Yuuri heard Lutz laugh behind him and he could feel himself smile too. But the next thing he knew his feet got caught up and he fell right on his ass with a heavy thud.

“Yes!” Lutz shouted and started to skate circles around where Yuuri sat defeated on the ice. “I win.”

Yuuri laughed and laid down on the ice with his arms and legs splayed out. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed playing that game, it was an exercise Yuuri had come up with years ago. Axel, Lutz, and Loop were all visual learners and liked to watch Yuuri whenever they were stuck on something. The game aspect was what really got Lutz motivated, her competitive side was the best motivation Yuuri knew.

“Bravo!” Yuuri heard someone should from the barrier and started to clap slowly. He snapped up so fast his vision spun before his eyes landed on familiar silver hair. Yuuri scrambled to his feet and brushed ice off his pants when he saw Viktor standing there with a friendly smile across his face.

“Viktor! Ah what are you doing here?” Yuuri asked, feeling a flush of embarrassment crawl up his cheeks. He didn’t really want to think about how Viktor had probably just witnessed him fall on his ass.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Viktor said in an amused voice, despite Inna who looked bitter as ever to see them.

In the past few weeks that Viktor had been in Detroit, Yuuri only ever saw him in passing. Yuuri didn’t know what he had expected, he had only spoken to the man twice, it wasn't like that made them friends. Yuuri had never been good at making friends, he guessed he was just hoping that Viktor would be the one to talk to him first.

“What do you mean?” Yuuri asked.

“Inna and I are scheduled for private rink time this morning.” He said.

Yuuri furrowed his brow. “No, we definitely have our practice time now.”

He skated over to where his phone was resting on the barrier and pulled up the schedule and showed it to Viktor. Viktor had done the same and after cross referencing, they were both right.

“I guess there was a mistake.” Viktor admitted. “Well we're already here, do you mind if we share the rink? Just for today.” He suggested.

“No!” Inna and Lutz both shouted at the same time and then glared at each other.

“Don’t be like that. We’ll just make it work.” Yuuri said to Lutz in the most scolding way he could, which wasn’t much.

Inna and Lutz both grumbled under their breaths but seemed to accept the decision.

As Inna put her skates on, Yuuri left the ice and took his off. Viktor came to stand near him and Yuuri felt his pulse quicken.

“What was that you were doing with Lutz when we walked in?” Viktor asked in a surprisingly curious tone.

Yuuri looked up at him and was met with kind and curious eyes. He felt his check flush in embarrassment, thinking of how Viktor most definitely saw him fall on his ass.

“Uhh…it’s a game. A game we use to practice her footwork. I came up with it when she was little.” He stammered.

“A game?” Viktor said to no one in particular, he seemed to consider the word carefully. Yuuri nodded as he got up and moved to stand by Viktor at the barrier.

He was supposed to work on Lutz’s short program today, they had just finally figured out the last of the choreography. It was to a fast jazzy number that Lutz would have an easy time performing. But this was senior’s now and they had upped the difficulty of her jumps, adding more triples and putting them closer toward the end of the program. Ironically, it was a triple toe loop, triple lutz combo that was causing her trouble.

Lutz started to run through her program and before she got to the combination Yuuri could tell she was overthinking it by the way her body tensed up in anticipation for the jump. She landed the first one cleanly but as she readied for the next one her feet weren’t right and she ended up falling and sliding a bit when she hit the ice.

“Are you ok?” Yuuri called out, worry clear in his voice. He hated seeing her fall.

She nodded but he could tell she was frustrated. She got up and did her best to finish. Yuuri was not a very strict coach but one thing he always made clear was that no matter what happens you have to finish the program.

“If you build up more speed and bring your leg up higher, you should have better balance when you land.” Inna said, as Lutz finished her program.

Lutz looked at Inna like she had grown another head and narrowed her eyes. Inna seemed just as surprised at her comment. But despite being suspicious of the other girl’s intentions for suddenly handing out tips, Lutz skated around the rink to build up speed before trying the combo again. She landed it.

Lutz still looked suspicious but she didn’t say anything. Inna’s face was red in embarrassment as she also started to work through her own program.

“Well that was interesting.” Viktor murmured quietly to Yuuri. He just nodded, too distracted watching them skate to start a conversation.

Inna was long limbed and graceful, at least she was when she relaxed enough to let her body move naturally. Her jumps were clean but the set ups were stiff making her look mechanical at times. Lutz on the other hand was shorter and her skating was looser, she held a lot of power in her small frame. But all that expressiveness made her jumps fierce, but sloppy if she wasn't careful.

Yuuri continued to watch them skate as he called out instructions and advice, he noticed Lutz watching Inna, and Inna do the same. For every jump Inna landed Lutz tried to match her, for every spin or step sequence Lutz executed Inna studied and tried to follow her movements. It was like a game, each of them challenging each other, pushing each other silently.

“Are you seeing this?” Yuuri asked quietly to Viktor.

Viktor turned to him after telling Inna to start working on spins. “See what?”

Yuuri shook his head, of course Viktor was probably paying more attention to Inna, to notice what was going on.

“Did Inna practice with anyone back in Russia?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor shook his head. “No. she didn’t really get along well with the other students.”

Yuuri smirked and held in a small chuckle. It was nice to know she was always like that and it wasn't just Lutz who was the problem.

“What about Lutz?” Viktor asked.

“She used to skate with her sisters sometimes.” Yuuri explained.

Viktor nodded thoughtfully and they were silent again for a while.

“I think this is the longest Inna has gone without complaining.” Viktor commented quietly.

Yuuri nodded. “I think this is the cleanest Lutz has practiced her jumps… ever.”

“Hmm…” Viktor hummed to himself as a mischievous grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.

“What?” Yuuri asked, worry bubbling up in his chest.

“I’m getting an idea.” He explained.

Yuuir couldn’t pinpoint why but the intensity of Viktor’s gaze made his heart beat faster. “What kind of idea?”

“That maybe we should do this again.” Viktor said looking at Yuuri.

He felt his cheeks burn under Viktor’s stare. But he couldn’t lie, the idea was intriguing. “You mean practice together?“ He asked.

Viktor nodded.

“They would hate that.” Yuuri said, yet he couldn’t help a grin from crossing his face.

Viktor smirked. “I think that might be the point.”

He was right. Yuuri could tell right away that there was something special about the way the girls were skating today. The idea of it happening again made him excited, not just because he would have an excuse to talk to Viktor but because it might be exactly what Lutz needed. Yuuri had been so scared that he only had so much to teach her, but Viktor? Viktor was a legend, what couldn’t he teach her?

Yuuri grinned back, his heart beating like drums in his ears. “Then I think you’ve found a training partner.”

* * *

 

The girls had protested at first but it only took a few days for their complaining to die down, at least during practice. At home Yuuri still got an earful from Lutz about how terrible and cold Inna was. Viktor confirmed the dislike was mutual, but their intensity during practice only increased from that first day and they were both making great improvements. They would even draw quite a crowd when they practiced in the afternoon, with the rest of the skaters trying to get a glimpse of the new rivalry that was being born.

But that was not the most surprising thing Yuuri had uncovered while training with Viktor, because as a couple weeks went by it became obvious that Viktor Nikiforov was a lousy coach.

This wasn’t to say that Viktor wasn’t trying or didn’t know anything, because Yuuri could tell he did. But Viktor just couldn’t seem to get through to Inna. Yuuri could tell Viktor had picked up most of his coaching techniques from his old coach, Yakov Feltsman. That man was notorious for his harsh demeanor and for barking at his students.

While Viktor never really raised his voice, he would relentlessly lecture her, giving her lists and lists of things to work on every time she finished something. Inna would take the information stoically, like a brick wall, his advice bouncing off her as soon as it left his mouth. Yuuri could tell from the controlled way she carried herself that Inna was probably more critical of her performances than Viktor ever could be. She probably knew everything Viktor was going to say before he did. 

But, when Viktor would skate during practice, it took Yuuri’s breath away. That was when Yuuri recognized Viktor as the man he had idolized for most of his life. Viktor was no longer a young man, but he was still a powerful skater and maintained his magnetic presence on the ice. Also, much to Lutz’s delight, Viktor liked to try and pressure Yurri into practicing with them too. Thankfully he could use his bad knee as an excuse, rather than tell the truth. It was easier to blame the injury than admit he was terrified to skate in front of Viktor.

Yet off the ice Yuuri found it was surprisingly easy to talk to Viktor. His heart still threatened to beat out of his chest and his thoughts were impossible to keep together whenever Viktor was near but he managed to have coherent conversations with the man on several occasions. Coaching and skating were both safe topics and they stuck to them most of the time. But the moment the topic shifted to anything personal Yuuri froze up.

Maybe it was the years because despite his discomfort about talking to new people, especially ones he’d once looked up to, he had started to consider Viktor a friend. It had been nearly a decade since Yuuri had followed Viktor’s every move and in that time Yuuri had become gradually more at ease with himself. Viktor, on the other hand, had come down from his pedestal since retiring. They were both coaches at the same facility and training equally skilled skaters, so there was no need for Yuuri to be so intimidated in the same the way he might have once been.

But on the ice, Viktor became a god again. Something untouchable and far away. It reminded Yuuri just who Viktor was and that they would probably never be equals.

But Yuuri couldn’t focus on Viktor now, he had his own problems to deal with. The Grand Prix qualifiers assignments would be out soon and while Lutz’s short program was coming along quite well she still hadn’t picked out a song for her free program. Which meant Yuuri was growing more and more anxious by the minute.

Yuuri had always let the girls pick out their own music for their programs. Only giving advice or suggestions when they asked for it. He thought that if they had to skate to a song it should be one they liked and actually wanted to skate to. That system had worked relatively well for them over the years, except maybe the time Yuuri reluctantly let Axel skate to a K-pop song years ago. But it had scored well, so maybe Yuuri didn’t actually know anything.

But now Lutz was being indecisive and wasn’t asking Yuuri for help. She was insisting that since this was her senior debut, she wanted the song to be special. Yuuri had tried to persuade her to take the decision less seriously, telling her that this was actually just her first year as a senior and there would be plenty of time to have special performances, but Lutz would not hear it.

“Have you thought about your free program some more?” Yuuri asked Lutz, for possibly the hundredth time this week, as she tied the laces on her skates. She hands froze and she immediately glanced up at Yuuri looking guilty.

“I know that look, have you still not decided?” Yuuri said, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice.

She looked over to where Viktor was talking to Inna, giving her instructions for today’s practice.

“Can we talk in private?” Lutz asked quietly.

“Sure.” He answered in the same hushed manor, not entirely sure what was going on.

Lutz stood up and they walked to the opposite side of the rink, far away from Viktor and Inna. Yuuri’s mind was spinning with what Lutz could possibly say that she wouldn’t want the others to hear. Once they were far enough Lutz took a deep breath to speak but wouldn’t look at Yuuri.

“Please, don’t be mad but I looked through your computer.” She blurted out.

Yuuri furrowed his brow, he didn’t have anything particularly incriminating on his laptop but he didn’t like that she had invaded his privacy like that. But what worried him most was that he had no idea what she could have possibly found that would make her look so guilty.

“Why?” he asked, mostly just confused.

She kept her head down. “I was looking for a piece of music you suggested for last season because I couldn't remember the name, and while I was looking I found a track called ‘Yuuri on Ice’.”

Yuuri felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. His breathing stopped for a moment and his blood ran cold. He had completely forgotten about that song or that it was even still on his computer, but hearing the name now made the worst time in his life come rushing back to him in waves. The fall on the ice, the surgery, doctors insisting he would make a full recovery only to discover that he wouldn’t, that his knee was beyond repair making it impossible to skate competitively again.

“That was from a long time ago.” Yuuri said uncharacteristically harsh.

He saw Lutz flinch at his tone and he immediately regretted how he sounded but he really did not want to be talking about this. Not today, not ever. He had put all of that behind him and he was happy where he was now. He didn’t want to be reminded of life that never happened. 

“I figured.” She said. “So then I emailed Phichit.”

“You what?!” Yuuri shouted, his voice traveling easily in the mostly empty rink. He felt his face turn red as he spared a glance at Viktor and Inna who were now both looking at them with concerned expressions. Yuuri smiled and waved to show them that they were fine.

Of course she would have contacted Phichit. He was Yuuri’s best friend from that time in his life and he was still a dear friend of Yuuri’s. He had been devastated when Yuuri was forced to retire and move back home, Phichit even dedicated his next season to his fallen friend. They stayed in contact through the years, Phichit had even visited Hasetsu several times and loved to skate with the girls. He even showed up to last year’s Japanese Nationals to see Lutz skate in person despite keeping busy in his own retirement by directing skating shows back in his home of Thailand. It was what he had always dreamed of doing, and Yuuri was incredibly proud of him.

Yuuri made a mental note that he was going to have to have a long conversation with his friend next time he saw him. Phichit needed a reminder about keeping people's personal lives private, but Yuuri realized that conversation might be useless to his gossipy friend.

“He told me a friend from college composted it after your injury in the hope that you’d get to skate to it.” Lutz explained. She wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.

“It was supposed to tell the story of my career.” Yuuri admitted and ran his hand over his face. “With the second half representing my comeback.”

“You have to let me skate to it.” Lutz said confidently, finally looking Yuuri in the eyes.

“What?” Yuuri said, quieter this time but still genuinely shocked.

“Please Yuuri.” She begged. “I wouldn’t be here without you and in a way _I_ am your return to skating. I want my debut to mean something and this story would mean everything to me.”

Yuuri ran a hand over his face again as he tried to process what she was saying. She quietly waited for his response.

Yuuri sighed. “You’re going to do this regardless of what I say, aren’t you?” Yuuri said with a slight grin, to show her he wasn’t mad. He understood her reasons and despite the ugly memories it was bound to bring up, it was a good idea.

Lutz smiled but she still looked serious. “Maybe, but I don’t want to do this unless you are completely behind it.”

Yuuri reached out and gave her a quick hug.

“When did you get so smart? I just wish I had thought of it myself.” He admitted, because she was right.

Lutz squeezed him back before pulling back and giving him a beaming smile.

She _was_ his legacy in the sport. He didn’t get a chance to make his mark but Lutz had a shot at being the best, and Yuuri wanted to make it happen. 

* * *

 

Ever since leaving Russia, Viktor felt like he was doing everything wrong. There was just so much he didn’t know. He had come from one of the best training facilities in the world and yet he was clueless on his own. Then he would look at Yuuri, who had been doing this pretty much on his own for ten years, and on the surface it may seem like Yuuri was just making stuff up as he went a long but Viktor knew better.

Of course there was no one way to coach yet Yuuri had seemed to come up with his own way of doing things and it amazed him. Not that Viktor would say any of that of the man himself, Yuuri was painfully shy and despite how cute it was, it made it difficult to become his friend but ultimately he was thankful for Yuuri for agreeing to become training partners. It was probably the best thing Viktor had done since coming to America.

That afternoon Viktor was headed to the dance studio, for Inna’s ballet lesson that Yuuri would be teaching her. Yuuri had been working with her on her performance and becoming more graceful on the ice. As he walked through the door Viktor realized he had stumbled into one of Yuuri's choreography session. There was a laptop sitting on a folding chair against the mirrored wall of the studio. On the screen was a video call with several people on the other end all speaking in rapid Japanese.

Viktor was still convinced this was one of the most bizarre things he had ever seen. He had asked Yuuri a few weeks ago when Lutz had finally settled on a free program if he had a choreographer. Yuuri had said no and looked embarrassed. Viktor had initially thought he was embarrassed because he had to choreography Lutz’s programs himself even though Viktor couldn’t fathom why. He had seen Lutz’s previous programs and they were always stunning and well done.

Viktor, in an act of charity volunteered to help with choreography in exchange for Yuuri’s ballet lessons but he had declined, blushing the entire time. Eventually admitting that he, Lutz’s mother, his old ballet instructor, and Lutz’s sisters all worked together to choreograph Lutz’s programs.

Yuuri had tried to explain, “It’s always been a group effort when it came to choreographing the girls programs. When there was three of them it was impossible to do it all myself so everyone kind of worked together and that's just they way we've done it. Everyone brings their own skills to it, Minako was my ballet instructor and she has a real eye for skating, and Lutz’s sister Axel is really good at calculating points.” 

Yuuri had been so embarrassed when he tried to explain it and Viktor still thought it was a crazy system but apparently it was a system that worked.

When the group on the other side of the call saw Viktor enter they went silent. Yuuri turned around to see what they were looking at and his face went bright red as he saw Viktor standing there. Almost immediately everyone on the call shouted at Viktor and started talking all at once. Lutz started laughing as Yuuri quickly said something in Japanese before ending the call.

Yuuri looked back at Viktor sheepishly, even though Viktor couldn’t understand anything they had said. Viktor suddenly remembered that Yuuri had mentioned that he and Yuuko, Lutz's mother, had been fans of Viktor’s since they were children. They must have passed that love on to the Lutz and her sisters, Viktor was amused at the idea of a family in Japan being devoted fans after all these years.

“Sorry.” Yuuri mumbled.

“You should apologize for depriving me of my fans.” Viktor said smoothly as he set down his bag. “I’d love to talk to them.”

Lutz laughed again. “I’m sure they’d love that. _The_ Viktor Nikiforov talking to them all the way in Hatsesu.”

Yuuri looked mortified at the idea.

Viktor smiled as he sat down in the back of the room as Inna put on her dance shoes. The girls both narrowed their eyes as they passed each other on the dance floor. They were never outright hostile to each other but Viktor wondered if they would ever get along.

Inna started going through exercises with Yuuri while Lutz came over and sat next to Viktor. He had become quite fond of Lutz in their short time together. He had been showing her ways to improve on jumps and spins. She had been soaking up everything he said like a sponge. She was also just a delightful young woman always smiling and sociable. Viktor silently hope Lutz would rub off on Inna just a tiny bit. He wondered if it was a sign of her coach’s hard work that she was so good at taking instructions. That thought was somewhat confirmed as he watched Yuuri work with Inna. The other man spoke softly and Inna followed his instruction without comment.

Viktor started to wonder about what Yuuri was like when he was a skater. Did he listen to his coach or was he as insubordinate as Viktor had been? There was so much Viktor didn’t know about Yuuri. Viktor’s life was an open book for anyone with internet connection and enough time to dig through the results. But Yuuri’s life was a mystery. He had tried to get to know the other man without much luck. Anytime he tried to talk to him about anything other than skating he would get quiet and change the subject.

“So why doesn’t Yuri skate anymore?” Viktor asked Lutz. If he couldn’t asked Yuuri himself, there was someone else he could turn to.

“Hm…oh, he fell a long time ago and hurt himself.” Lutz said not bothering to look up from her phone where she was scrolling through some kind of social media.

Viktor considered that. “He told me as much when we first met but what kind of injury was it?”

“It was during a competition and he fell landing a jump, right on his knee. At first they thought it was just a bad bruise but when he went to the doctor and they found out his knee cap was actually all messed up. He had to have surgery but when it was healing something with the scar tissue made it impossible to get the full range of motion back.” She explained putting her phone down.

“Wow.” Viktor said. He hadn’t expected that. Surgeries were painful enough, he had his fair share of them. To go under the knife in hopes to skate again only to find out it was for nothing must have been crushing.

“Then after that he graduated college and came home.” 

“And started coaching you?” he asked, trying to piece together the whole story.

“No, not at first.” She began. “I was pretty young and don't remember it that well but he was really depressed for a while, we didn't even see him that much at first. His parents own a hot springs inn and he worked there for a while. It took some time for his knee to heal and he just kept to himself. After a while he started coming and skating at my family’s rink at night. He liked having the rink all to himself.”

“Sounds like it was hard for him to skate again.”

“It was. He still doesn't skate as much as he used to, at least according to my mom. When he was a kid you could hardly get him off the ice." Lutz explained as a moment later her expression grew thoughtful. "When he first came home I was mad at him. I thought that he had just given up and come home but I was young and didn’t understand that your body could betray you like that. But I get it now.” She said quietly.

Viktor looked at her, she seemed quite serious and it surprised him. It was in such contrast to her normal bubbly self.

“You two seem pretty close.” Viktor noted.

Lutz nodded and she answered quietly again. “I’ve known him my whole life. In a lot of ways I skate for him. To make up for the dreams he had to give up on. He’s always been an inspiration to me, that’s why this free program is so important to me.”

“Have you told him that?”

“Not all of it. But he knows.” She said with a slight chuckle. “He would hate that, he is far too modest. Did you know he medaled at the Japanese Nationals 4 years in a row?”

“What?” Viktor asked, truly surprised again.

She nodded excitedly. “Exactly if I was him I would be telling everyone I met about it, but he practically refuses to tell anyone he ever skated competitively.”

He watched Yuuri again, his movements were graceful as he showed Inna something. But it all started to make sense. Yuuri had retired unwillingly and Viktor could hardly imagine how much that must have hurt. To have dreams ripped away like that. But Yuuri seemed to have made his peace with it, somehow Yuuri seemed to have found his purpose again in a way Viktor never had. Viktor knew it was irrational but he was jealous of Yuuri in that regard.

He sat in silence for a while, simply watching Yuuri until he thought of something. There was another thing that was on Viktor’s mind, something he knew Yuuri would never tell him.

“So does Yuuri have a girlfriend back home?” Viktor asked.

Lutz immediately let out a loud laugh before clamping a hand over her mouth, looking embarrassed. Viktor raised his eyebrows and chuckled at her reaction.

Yuuri looked over to the two of them with a curious expression. Lutz removed her hand and waved, still looking a little embarrassed. Yuuri still looked confused but returned his attention back to Inna who glared at them through the mirrored wall.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Viktor said to Lutz, much quieter than before.

 “No girlfriend.” She confirmed. “Honestly I haven’t seen Yuuri interested in anyone romantically. There might have been someone when he was away at college but we never knew about them.”

Viktor considered this. “Really? No one? I’d imagine lots of women would try and get the attention of an attractive man like him.”

Lutz grinned slightly, like she was enjoying a joke with herself. “You’re not wrong. Lots of the moms at the rink like to flirt with him when they drop their children off, but Yuuri hardly notices. I don’t think that’s really what he’s attracted to.”

Viktor may be dense when it came to certain things but he clearly understood the meaning behind Lutz’s vague words.

“So no boyfriend either, I assume.” Viktor said quietly.

Lutz looked at him and her smile fell into a more serious expression. She looked at Viktor apprehensively, like she realized she was telling a secret that wasn’t hers to tell. Viktor could tell Lutz cared for Yuuri dearly and it warmed his heart seeing her so concerned about potentially doing something to jeopardize her coach, even if it was just gossiping to Viktor.

Japan still try to ignore the fact that gay people even existed but few areas of the country were starting to change that. While in Russia, the law criminalizing homosexuality was overturned a few years ago, they were still far from accepting. He understood Lutz’s hesitance to saying anything, so he lightly touched her hand to show her he understood.

Although part of him was confused, for someone who had grown up a fan of his, he would be surprised if she hadn’t heard the rumors or seen the gossip that had surrounded him for most of his career. Viktor in his youth hadn’t cared too much about who said what about him, much to the frustration of his coach. Yakov just insisted he not confirm anything, be as vague as possible, and that had worked. Now he was out of the spotlight and his personal life was finally personal again. Even though there was not much of one to speak of. He hadn’t had much romantic luck in his retired life, nothing lasted longer than a few months before it fell apart, so he could sympathize with Yuuri.

“Hasetsu is a really small town, everyone knows each other. Even if there was someone like Yuuri, it would be hard.” Lutz said sheepishly.

Viktor nodded understandably and looked over at Yuuri whose face was full of concentration.

“When I was younger I felt sorry for him, I thought he must have been lonely.” Lutz continued, her voice sounding small, not like her normal outspoken self. “But when he came to our house in the mornings, when he met me after school, when we had parties at his family’s inn he always seemed so happy. So I don’t think he’s really that lonely, at least not with all of us around.”

Viktor nodded again, but didn’t say anything else his mind was already racing. Suddenly the skype call with the all of the girls and his bizarre way of choreographing a program made more sense. Yuuri was never doing this coaching thing on his own. He had an entire family, and entire town behind him. Viktor's chest felt tight realizing how hard was it must be for Yuuri to be here now alone. Viktor was here alone because he had to be, he lived in Russia his entire life but being here in Detroit made him realize how little of a home he had there. Of course there was Yakov and Yuri, and the rest of the skaters at the rink but he had kept them all at arm’s length. Ever since he retired from skating he continued to live his life as unattached as before.

Somehow being here in America, even though his situation here was temporary and fragile at best, he had started to notice himself becoming more and more comfortable here. Maybe it was his slowly blossoming friendship with Yuuri or the freedom from expectation that followed him around like a dark cloud since he retired, but somehow he felt more at home sitting on the floor of this dance studio than he had in his apartment in Russia, especially since Makkachin passed away.

Viktor looked at Yuuri again, he was gently guiding Inna’s arm into place over her head. He spoke to her softly and she nodded in response. Viktor felt a pang of jealousy at the easy way he seemed to interact with her. But more than anything, he realized he could get used to this. As Yuuri continued to speak to Inna she cracked a ghost of a smile and Viktor felt his heart skip a beat at the way Yuuri smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this chapter was going to be short but ended up being a monster. It did jump around a bit but I hope you all enjoyed it. I know the timeline of what month it is has been pretty vague mostly because I had no idea myself but with the next chapter and the ones following it, as we start getting into competitions, should be a lot clearer. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! Please comment! What do you think of Inna? I kind of love her, and she won’t always be so awful lmao.
> 
> Next chapter should be up next week or the week after. This is my last pre-written chapter but I do have a break this week so I should be able to keep up the weekly posting.


	5. Thick as Thieves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how these chapters keep getting longer and longer but this chapter just would not quit. Normally I’d just break it up into two chapters but there just wasn’t a good spot to do it so here is this, over 7k words filler, kind of, it's all still important but ya know, ENJOY

The night was quiet, almost unnaturally so. Living In the middle of the city meant that even in the middle of the night there was always some kind of noise sneaking in from the outside. It wasn’t even that late, a couple hours till midnight, but it was silent. No sirens, no loud rumbling cars, no people talking loudly on the sidewalk below his window, which left Yuuri feeling like he was about to vibrate right out of his skin.

He had received Lutz’s Grand Prix assignments that morning. Lutz’s qualifiers were the Trophée de France in Paris and the NHK Trophy, which would be in Osaka this year. He had been with Viktor when they were released and Inna’s were Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy as well. Part of Yuuri was looking forward to seeing his friends and family again at the NHK Trophy. Yuuri had called them the moment he got the assignments and they all immediately started making plans. He was even excited about the prospect of getting to introduce Viktor to some of his biggest fans.

But all of that excitement was overshadowed by the overwhelming sense of dread that threatened to consume him in his dark, too quiet bedroom. With the assignments finally in the reality of the upcoming season hit him like a ton of bricks. Senior skating was a whole other world compared to juniors and Yuuri was starting to doubt they were ready. He knew it was foolish because Lutz had her short program up to a level of perfection that surprised even him, and her free skate choreography was finished and she was getting better every day. But none of that seemed to calm Yuuri’s nerves as his mind started to run through every possible scenario, good or bad, until he felt his breathing start to become shallow and quick.

He sat up in bed and ran his hands through his hair. Yuuri willed his breathing and heart rate to even out and he tried to think about anything else. He had managed to keep his insecurities at bay for a couple months but in that moment it all came rushing back and his overwhelming anxiety started to make a new home in the pit of his stomach.

Yuuri felt almost annoyed at his body’s involuntary reaction. Over the years he had become better at controlling his fears and the inevitable panic attacks that followed. He had learned ways to change his thinking, and exercises that would calm him down quickly but that didn’t always stop nights like this one.

He knew sleeping would be useless at this point and there was only one thing that helped when he started to feel like this. Yuuri got out of bed and changed into a pair of track pants and pulled on a hoodie before grabbing his skating bag and quietly heading for the door. He thought about leaving a note in case Lutz woke up and found him missing but decided against it. He didn’t want her to know how worked up he had gotten, there was no need for her to worry about his mental health now. He would come up with some excuse if it came to that.

Yuuri closed the door silently and made it downstairs without seeing a soul. Once on the street he put in his headphones and started his walk to the rink with his head down. He tried to be aware of his surroundings, he was still walking through the city late at night after all. But his turbulent head space made it hard for him to think of much besides putting one foot in front of the other and getting to his destination as fast as possible.

So of course it shouldn’t have been that surprising when he walked right into somebody. Yuuri stumbled slightly but thankfully was light on his feet and righted himself quickly. He glanced up and saw familiar blue eyes and silver hair.

“Yuuri, what are you doing here?” Viktor asked as he pushed back his bangs to get a better look at Yuuri in the dim street light. He was wearing shorts and running shoes, obviously out for some kind of late night run. Yuuri thought it was odd but pushed that thought aside quickly.

 “Just going for a walk.” Yuuri stammered unconvincingly.

“At this hour?” Viktor asked with an amused grin.

“Well what are you doing out here then?” Yuuri countered.

Viktor ignored the question. “Do you live around here?”

Yuuri nodded. “Yeah, just down the street.”

Viktor’s face lit up. “We’re practically neighbors then, our apartment is just a block over.”

“I guess we are.” Yuuri said, unsuccessfully trying to match Viktor’s enthusiasm. He thought they would part ways after that but that was until Viktor caught sight of Yuuri’s bag.

“So you’re out for a walk with your skating bag?” Viktor asked knowingly.

Yuuri considered lying but it didn’t seem worth it. Knowing himself, he would probably end up saying something that was more embarrassing than the truth. He was not good at coming up with lies on a good day and right now he already had too much on his mind.

He sighed. “I’m headed to the rink. I can’t sleep and skating helps me clear my head.”

“I’ll come with you.” Viktor seemed to light up again, although Yuuri couldn’t imagine why.

“You really don’t have to. It’s more of a solitary thing.” Yuuri stammered, as he felt his cheeks turn red.

“Nonsense I was just finishing my run.” He said simply, without leaving room for argument and started to walk in the direction of the rink.

Yuuri stood frozen on the sidewalk for the briefest of seconds. He was stunned, this was not how his night was supposed to go but Viktor seemed dead set on this plan. Quickly Yuuri caught up with Viktor who spent the rest of their way to the rink chattering at Yuuri. It reminded him a lot of Lutz on their morning walks to the rink.

The rink was technically closed at this hour and Yuuri led them to one of the back entrances before he pulled out a key.

“Where did you get that?” Viktor asked, sounding amazed. Yuuri smirked, he liked surprising Viktor.

“I have my ways.” He said. It came out way more flirtatiously than he intended and immediately felt his face turn red. He kept his head down as he opened the door refusing to even look at Viktor. All he had wanted to do was avoid having to explain that he had gone to the rink managers and explained his anxiety problems. They had made him sign several wavers in case he hurt himself when he was in there alone, but they had been surprisingly accommodating.

Normally at this point, walking into the rink and feeling the cool air hit his lungs, Yuuri would start to calm down. But with Viktor here his nerves seem to double. Not only was he worried about the upcoming season but now he could feel Viktor’s gaze on him as he tied the laces of his skates in tight knots.

As Yuuri stepped on the ice he makes the conscious decision to ignore Viktor. Finally his mind starts to slow and gradually quiet as his body focused on keeping him upright on the ice. Yuuri started with laps, going around in circles always helped ground himself, before starting to run through compulsories. They were no longer required in competitions but he liked to do them when he felt like this. The precise nature of them made it possible to focus on nothing else. Eventually he started to run through old bits of programs, careful not to run thought any of Viktor’s old programs. He didn’t need him to know about how deep his love for Viktor’s skating went.

After nearly an hour of skating Yuuri made his way to the barrier where Viktor and his stuff was waiting for him. Viktor handed him his water bottle when he got close enough.

“Thanks.” Yuuri said, slightly out of breath.

“You have a lot of stamina out there, especially for someone you’re age.” Viktor said as he leaned against the barrier toward Yuuri.

“I’m not the one who’s almost pushing 40.” Yuuri smirked, definitely feeling more himself. “But I will be feeling this in my knee in the morning.”

Viktor chuckled. “I still have a couple years, Lutz told me you were quite the accomplished skater in your youth.”

“She likes to exaggerate.” Yuuri said, dodging the comment. Internally he groaned, Lutz was almost as bad as Phichit when it came to gossiping. He should have known this was going to happen. But part of him started to wonder why exactly he hadn’t told Viktor. They were friends weren’t they?

“4 National medals doesn’t sound like exaggerating.” Viktor pointed out.

“I guess not.” Yuuri admitted and took another drink of water.

“Why don’t you tell anyone?” Viktor asked after a moment, quieter this time. It’s only the two of them in this empty rink but Yuuri appreciated his change in tone. Obviously knowing Yuuri wasn’t very forthcoming when it comes to talking about anything personal. 

“No one asks…” Yuuri said and tried to make it seem like the actually answer but in the end it sounded as if even he didn’t even believe himself and he could tell Viktor didn’t buy it either. Viktor gave him a knowing look.

Yuuri sighed, “Do you want the serious answer?”

Viktor nodded, his expression much more serious now too.

“I was injured and forced into retirement. I didn’t really have a choice in that and I guess it became easier to pretend that my career never happened.” Yuuri tried to explain.

“And that’s easier?” Viktor asked softly, trying to understand.

Yuuri nodded, “It was easier to pretend, then deal with people’s sympathies whenever they found out the whole story. I had gotten over it but it was like I had to relive it every time it came up. So now I avoid it.”

Viktor seemed to accept than answer. “Well then, what about before that? Why don’t you tell me about how a small town boy like you became an almost famous figure skater?”

“I am still famous in Hasetsu.” Yuuri said admitted smugly, which earned a grin from Viktor. "But it won't be long until Lutz outshines me again. I'm looking forward to that day."

Yuuri took a sip of water and leaned against the edge of the rink. “It started with ballet. My older sister, Mari, took lessons from Minako and she would take me with her sometimes. I would sit in the back of the studio and for an hour twice a week and I was mesmerized by the grace of it. They were only children then too, so I’m sure they weren’t very good but that didn’t matter to me. When my sister wanted to quit the lessons I started crying.” Yuuri laughed at the memory. “My sister took me to Minako the next day and asked if she would teach me.”

“Then why aren’t you a ballerina then?” Viktor asked. His eyes were alight with amusement, clearly enjoying Yuuri’s story.

“When I was about 8, she suggested I try skating at the rink in town, she thought I would be good at it. And I fell in love with it.” Yuuri continued.

“And the rest is history?”

Yuuri nodded “I was never a genius when it came to skating or dancing, but I worked hard and I actually liked practicing. But more than anything I had places and people that worked with me. Minako would let me into her studio any time and I was always welcome at the rink even after hours whenever I had nervous energy to burn off.”

“But you skated in America before right?” Viktor asked. Yuuri had mentioned it in passing once, when Viktor asked why Yuuri was so familiar with the city.

“Yes, for a while when I was in college. It was very different than the comfortable familiarity of Japan but I think it was good for me.”

“Did it make this move easier?” Viktor asked, most of the humor was gone and there seemed to be something bothering him.

“I’d say so. But it’s not just me this time.” Yuuri said. “But what about you Mr. Nikivorov? What led you all the way here to Detroit?”

Viktor grinned. “I’m sure a devoted fan like you knows my origin story by now.”

Yuuri felt himself blush because it was true. He knew Viktor’s life nearly as well as his own, but he also knew that those stories tended to be fabricated and with the real man in front of him, Yuuri wanted to know the truth.

“I guess you’re right, but how did you end up in America? Why not just stay in Russia and train Inna there? Weren’t you already working for Yakov?” Yuuri asked, one question after the other seemed to tumble out of his mouth, and he felt embarrassment wash over him.

“You haven’t thought about this at all have you?” Viktor asked with a grin that slowly spread across his face.

“Sorry.” Yuuri said sheepishly. “I just find it odd. That one of Russia’s best skaters came all the way to America to train.”

Viktor looked thoughtful before taking a deep breath. “Believe it or not, skating talent does not directly relate to coaching skill.”

Yuuri felt uncomfortable. He had thought as much by watching Victor over the past few weeks but hearing Viktor admit it made him regret ever thinking those things about him. Gods weren’t supposed to admit their faults.

“Yakov wanted me to take over as head coach.” Viktor continued in Yuuri’s silence.

“Oh wow that’s amazing. Did he change his mind?” Yuuri asked. Obviously that would be any skater’s dream job. But Viktor was here, it didn’t make sense.

“No.” Viktor said, and kept his eyes gazing straight ahead of him and away from Yuuri. “I turned him down.”

“Oh, I’m sure you have your reasons.” Yuuri said quietly after another a pause.

Viktor looked surprised at Yuuri’s response and started at him, mouth slightly agape. He cleared his throat, “I did. I do. I couldn’t risk ruining Yakvo’s legacy, not after what he’s done for me.”

“So how did you become Inna’s coach?” Yuuri asked without thinking.

Viktor chuckled. “I didn’t really have a choice.”

Yuuri furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“She had heard the rumors that I might be leaving. So she cornered me one day and demanded I be her coach.” Viktor said and smiled at the memory, his eyes seemed far away.

Yuuri chucked and Viktor smiled.

“My entire career I was searching for inspiration and holding on to it for dear life. But when I retired it was like it all disappeared, there was nothing left.” Viktor said and rested his elbows on the barrier at stared at Yuuri.

Yuuri was quiet, not sure what to say. Thankfully Viktor continued, “And somehow being stared down by a 16 year old girl, who feels like she has something to prove, stirred that inspiration inside me for the first time in a long time.”

Yuuri didn’t respond, he remained thoughtful about what Viktor had said. He had obviously underestimated the depth of their relationship. Viktor obviously believed in Inna to win, and Inna must have a similar faith in Viktor if she sought him out like that.

“But who knows if this will even last.” Viktor said with an airy laugh that sounded almost hallow.

“What do you mean?”

“I have this season to prove myself as a coach or Inna’s parents are going to make her return to Russia. And if I can’t make _her_  win, I don’t deserve to coach.” Viktor explained.

There was a heavy silence that seemed to settle over them. While Yuuri’s anxiety seemed to be under control for now, he was starting to feel guilty for bringing any of this up, even though it was technically Viktor who started it.

“Viktor, you’re-“Yuuri began and reached out to place his hand on Viktor’s.

The moment his hand made contact, Viktor reacted and took Yuuri’s in his and squeezed gently. The shock of the contact cut off Yuuri’s words and the look on Viktor’s face also made him keep quiet.

“Thank you, Yuuri.” He said softly. “But you are too kind. At this point you’ve helped Inna more than I have. And I’m thankful for that.”

Yuuri’s hand was still in Viktor’s and the look Viktor gave him make his heart jump up right into his throat. He hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath until Viktor let go and the world seemed to snap into focus again.

They were both silent again, unsure of what to say next when a thought suddenly occurred to Yuuri.

 “So I was thinking of throwing some kind of small party for Lutz’s birthday.” Yuuri suggested.

“When is it?” Viktor asked. He began to perk, slowly becoming his old self again.

“Next week. In Japan people don’t really celebrate birthdays much but I know they do here in America. I was thinking of doing something for her. Just something small invite some of the skater’s she’s friends with, maybe get a cake.”

“That’s a great idea. You must let me help out.” Viktor exclaimed, his mood finally returning to the normal level of cheer Yuuri had come to rely on him for. He continued to list other things they could do for the party. As Viktor continued on and on Yuuri realized that he would have to pull Viktor back down eventually but for now he smiled at the other man's excitement.

In the end Yuuri takes only a couple ideas from Viktor, much to the his’s disappointment. Together they end up planning a small surprise party for the following week, with a cake and some balloons. Yuuri was not known for his party throwing skills but he figures Lutz would appreciate the gesture.

“Do you know when she’s coming?” Viktor asked coming up behind Yuuri who was staring at the cake Viktor had been put in charge of.

It was a simple sheet cake picked up from some store but it had her name and red flowers in the corners. Viktor had insisted that he had tried to get something more elaborate but there was only so much they could do at short notice.

“I told her I had somethings to take care of early this morning and that practice wasn’t until this afternoon and to meet in the lounge at 1.” Yuuri said and checked his watch it was about five minutes till and he was starting to get nervous. He hopped she would like all of this.

He looked around the lounge that consisted of a small kitchen area with a fridge and microwave, as well as some tables on one side. On the other side there was a television mounted on the wall with a few couches around it. It was a nice place for the skaters to hang out and watch competitions during the season.

Yuuri’s eyes landed on Inna who was sitting on one of the couches looking miserable, the rest of the skaters kept their distance. He couldn’t blame her. Viktor had practically dragged her into helping even though she had hardly spoken to Lutz in the many weeks they’d trained together.

There were a handful of skaters there and a couple other coaches. Two were regulars at the rink, not professional but they were talented and Lutz got on with them right away, one was another American who was competitive but just missed qualifying. There was another skater from Korea who Lutz had made friends with and it reminded him a lot of him and Phichit back in the day, and then there was Inna.

A moment later Yuuri got a text from Lutz that she had just arrived to the rink. Everyone scattered and tried to hide, behind the couches or the wall that partially blocked off the seating area from the kitchen. Inna looked like it was physically paining her to play along with this, and moved at a glacial pace to crouch behind the couch she was sitting on.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouted once Lutz walked in.

She was definitely surprised with her mouth hanging open as she saw everyone there waiting for her response. But instead of a smile her surprised expression crumpled into a frown as she began to cry. These were not happy tears as she covered her mouth and turned around immediately and ran out of the room.

Yuuri tried to wait a moment before following Lutz, not wanting to make too much of a scene. A few seconds later he laughed nervously and instructed them to go ahead and eat the cake before he stepped outside the lounge.

He wasn’t entirely sure where she went but he did have a hunch and it wasn’t long before he found her sitting in one of the less populated corridors of the facility. His heart sank when he realized she was still crying.

Slowly he walked over to her and sat down. They sat in silence for a while as she cried but eventually her breathing slowed and evened out. Yuuri pulled out a small pack of tissues from his pocket that he almost always carried around while on the ice and handed it to her. She took it and started to whip her face.

“What’s happened back there? What's wrong?” he asked.

She just shrugged. He didn’t push it, he was never good and dealing with people when they cried. It was one thing if she had fallen and started to cry but the inner workings of a teenage girls mind were much more complex than a bruise. But thankfully a few seconds later she said something. “It’s my first birthday without Axel and Loop.”

Yuuri sighed and he felt like a fool. He should have realized that.

“I’ve managed to not get that homesick since we’ve been here, and I call and text them all the time but that doesn’t change that I’m halfway around the world. They’ve always been around and now they’re not, and I don’t know when I’m going to be with them again.” Lutz explained, her voice cracking a couple of times. Yuuri could tell that she was trying to keep more tears from falling.

“We’ll see them soon. We have the NHK Trophy coming up.” Yuuri pointed out.

“But is that it? A few hastily meals in between competitions before I have to leave again.”

Yuuri waited to see if she was done. She wasn’t.

“And I know this is all part of it, all a part of competing at this level but it’s so hard and I haven’t complained at all. But there are so many people expecting me to do well. My parents sent me halfway across the world, I can’t fail them.”

In all this rambling Lutz worked herself up and stared to cry again. Yuuri leaned over and wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she cried. He tried to be the strong one even though he felt like he had just been sucker punched in the gut. All this time he had been worried about his own insecurities and how he didn’t want to fail her. In this moment Yuuri wished that Lutz hadn’t taken after him so much. She was different from him in so many ways, she was much better than him but after all these years it wasn’t surprising that she’d pick up his nervousness too.

There was a lot of things he could try and tell her in this moment but everything that came to minded ended up sounding too cliché.

“So the party wasn’t a good idea?” Yuuri asked, avoiding the big stuff.

Lutz gave a weak laugh, “No Yuuri. Thank you so much. I’m sorry I ruined it.”

“I know being away from your family is hard. I know being in an unfamiliar place is hard, and I know you have a lot of pressure on you. But you are doing so well.” Yurri said and let her go but did keep an arm around her.

“You’re just saying that cause you’re my coach.” Lutz said and elbowed him playfully.

“I mean it. You are fantastic and you’re going to win it all.”

Lutz scoffed again and pushed him away. She smiled at him weakly and she still looked sad.

“Thank you Yuuri. For everything.” She said again, softer this time.

He put his arm around her and squeezed again. He couldn’t fix everything, he couldn’t get rid of all her fears but he could try and he could be there for her.

* * *

 

Inna stood there stunned like everyone else as Yuuri ran after Lutz who had just left the room crying. It left the room in an awkward silence but Viktor, ever the hero, pulled things back together. He instructed everyone to go ahead and get a slice of cake before heading back to their practices. It was too close to the season and everyone’s time was precious. Inna walked over and poured herself a cup of room temperature soda and leaned against the counter and watched everyone murmur to each other quietly, the tension still lingering.

It didn’t take long for her to get bored and she took Viktor’s distracted state to slip out of the room. She hadn’t even wanted to go. Viktor had insisted that she help him and Yuuri put the whole thing together, despite her protests. So she had spent almost her entire morning halfheartedly taping streamers to the wall and blowing up balloons.  She didn’t know why _she_ was forced to help. Just because Yuuri and Viktor were friends all of a sudden didn’t mean her and Lutz were. She had hardly spoken a word to the other girl in weeks despite them being training partners.

But even in their silence she couldn’t deny that there was a lot of unspoken communication between them. For every jump landed it was a challenge issued and every perfect step sequence, every flawless spin was another one. Even though she knew literally nothing about Lutz there was a lot she could see from her skating. Lutz had this amazing way of allowing her personality infuse her skating, to make music with her movements alone. Her short program was fun and upbeat, and her free skate was turning out to be incredibly beautiful and touching routine. Inna hated to admit it but she was jealous, her more classical pieces felt stiff compared to that.

But as she walked around aimlessly she pulled out her phone, not paying too much attention to where she was going. Just as she turned the corner to walk down to one of the more secluded hallways of the facility, she looked up from her phone and stopped short when she saw Yuuri and Lutz sitting on the floor talking quietly together.

Inna tried to stop and turn around before she was spotted but she reaction time was too slow and Lutz looked up and saw her and immediately. Lutz started to frantically wipe dried tears off her face.

“What do you want?” Lutz snapped, her eyes were still red and puffy making her harsh tone less than threatening.

She wanted to just turn around and walk away but there was something that kept her planted to where she was. Something flared up inside her and she realized that she was annoyed, and words came out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying.

“You’re being dramatic. Yuuri went through a lot of trouble to do something nice for you and all you did was cry.” Inna snapped, and immediately she felt embarrassed. It was true that she felt bad that all of Yuuri’s effort went to waste but she would be lying if she didn’t admit that she was annoyed her work went to waste too.

Yuuri opened his mouth to say something but Lutz spoke first. “Yuuri, I need to speak to Inna alone.”

Yuuri looked even more concerned now. “I don’t think that’s the best idea-”

“Yuuri please.” Lutz said firmly and gave Yuuri a pleading look.

He hesitated but eventually sighed. “Ok then, I guess I’ll go check on Viktor.” He said awkwardly and stood up, looking back at Lutz a few times before turning the corner out of sight.

Once Yuuri is gone, Lutz turned to Inna and motions for her to sit where Yuuri once sat. Inna reluctantly obliged and hesitantly lowered herself to sit on the floor next to Lutz.

“Why are you always so mean?” Lutz said the moment Inna got settled, making her jump slightly and lean away.

“I’m not mean.” Inna said defensively and probably a little harsher than she should have if she wanted that to sound believable.

“Yes you are! Every time I do something nice you act like I insulted you somehow.”

Inna felt anger flare up again, “Because you don’t mean it! No one ever means it! You’re just going to be nice to me to my face and the second I turn around you’ll go talk about me to one of your other friends.”

“But I do mean it. Why would you even think that?”

“Because they always do!” Inna regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She hated that she was like this, always keeping things in until she exploded, it was always embarrassing.

Lutz took a moment to process the palpable anger Inna knew must be radiating off of her. Silence fell over them and neither one of them made a move to break it.

Inna sighed. There was no point in avoiding this conversation at this point. Better that Lutz know why she was like this than thinking she was crazy.

“At the first rink I trained at a kid put gum in my hair.” She blurted out.

“What?” Lutz asked in disbelief.

Instead of responding, Inna powered through the rest of the story. “It went all the way down to my waist and I had to cut it up to my chin. It was humiliating. I know hair grows back and it doesn’t really matter, but I was only 9. I cried for days but after a while my mom got fed up and told me to stop.”

“That’s awful. Why would they do something like that?” Lutz asked, sounding sincere.

“Because I was better than them.” She said bluntly. Inna knew she sounded full of herself but it was the truth. The kids she had skated with back then were jealous of her, especially the older ones. It had been an older girl who was 12 who did it. At that point her parents had only started to look into moving her to train under Yakov.

“After that I started training at the professional rink and even there I didn’t fit in. They would be nice to my face but I would hear them talking about me later. They would take pictures when I fell and started a collection of them. They would laugh at how I wasn’t the perfect machine after all.” Inna can feel her throat tighten up, she hadn’t really thought about all of this for a while. It was so easy to forget about in here in America. The skaters here didn’t even pay attention to her, especially when she was almost always with Lutz. Everyone just looked right over her and she was almost thankful for that.

“Did you tell someone?” Lutz asked.

Inna scoffed, “Yes, but it didn’t do anything. Yakov made me start training by myself, but that just made it worse. So I stopped trying to make them like me. I was there to skate, not make friends.”

Lutz laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing, but that’s exactly what I’d expect you to say.”

Inna rolled her eyes and she felt her mouth twitch up into a smile for a moment. “It’s the truth. You must have had some unpleasant rink mates back in Japan.”

Lutz shook her head. “No, not really. There were a couple boys who hung around the rink that were annoying but most of my training was done with my sisters. I mean we would argue but nothing like that.”

“How old are you sisters?”

“They’re both 17 today.” She said with a little laugh.

Inna didn’t understand what was funny, or how Lutz could have two sisters who were the same age.

“You’re a triplet?”

Lutz nodded and smiled.

“Wow. I’m an only child and I can’t even imagine having one sibling.”

“I never would have guessed.” Lutz said sarcastically.

Inna gave her a look. A moment later Lutz’s face fell.

“This is my first birthday without them.” She said softly.

“Ever?” Inna asked, surprised.

She nodded. “They’ve been around me my entire life. I thought I was handling being away from them pretty well, but walking into that room full of people that aren’t my family… I don’t know. It hit me harder than I thought.”

They were quiet again and Inna wasn’t sure what to say.

“Want to hear something sad then?” She suggested.

“I think you already did that.” Lutz said with a slight chuckle.

Inna rolled her eyes. “I haven’t had a birthday party since I was 8 years old.”

“Why?”

“My parent’s thought it was a frivolous waste of time and I never really had any friends for them to invite either. In fact for my last birthday I watched Korean horror films and ate a pint of ice cream.” Inna admitted almost proud in how pathetic it sounded.

Lutz looks at her surprised, it feels like forever before she says anything. “That is sad.”

Inna feels a laugh bubble up. It sounds weird and foreign in the empty hallway. Lutz laughs too before they laps into silence again.

“Have you seen Bloody Reunion?” Lutz asked quietly, back to being thoughtful again. Inna can hardly keep up.

Inna nodded. “Yeah, you like horror films?”

Lutz shrugged. “They’re not my favorite but I used to watch them all the time with Axel since Loop can’t stand them.”

Inna is quiet for a while not sure how to respond to that. Was it a good thing to have things in common with a sister that was so far away? “We could watch some, if you want.” Inna felt foolish suggesting it but she wasn’t sure what to say.

Lutz nodded and gave her a weak smile. “That would be great.”

Inna believed her when she said that. It didn’t seem like she was just saying it to be nice, it sounded like she meant it. Probably because it sounded the same, whether she was just being nice or if she was calling Inna ‘mean’ or ‘sad’. She liked the honesty.

Silence fell over them again but this time it was more comfortable.

“Do you want to go back? Yuuri’s probably worried.” Inna suggested.

Lutz sighed but ended up nodding and standing up. Once standing she held out her hand to help Inna up. Inna took it reluctantly, and when she stood up Lutz didn’t let go right away.

“You know, we could be friends.” Lutz said like it was some kind of crazy idea.

“I guess we could try that.” Was all Inna let herself say, even though in the back of her mind she had already begun to think about how nice it would be to have a friend.

Lutz smiled back at her and finally dropped her hand.

* * *

 

As far as parties went, this wasn’t the worst one Viktor had ever been too. Though he did feel sorry for Yuuri. He had tried very hard to put together something nice for Lutz, knowing it was her first birthday away from her sisters.

The rest of the skaters had already cut into the cake and Viktor moved to sit next to Yuuri who was slumped on the couch looking pretty miserable since he returned from talking to Lutz. She wasn’t with him so Viktor realized she might be more upset than Viktor thought.

“Is she ok?” Viktor asked as he sat next to Yuuri.

Yuuri jumped at the sound of his voice, as if he didn’t hear Viktor sit down next to him. 

“Yeah, I think she’ll be ok. She’s just missing her sisters and starting to feel the pressure of the upcoming season.” Yuuri explained.

“Hmm. I can see how today could be hard for her.” He said thoughtfully.

Yuuri sighed. “I should have realized that a surprised party was not the best idea.”

“There was no way for you to know that.” Viktor added quickly.

Yuuri looked at him and gave him a small smile. “But do you want to know the weirdest thing I’ve seen today?”

Viktor gave Yuuri a curious look but didn’t offer any ideas.

“When I left Lutz, she and Inna were talking.”

“You’re joking.” Viktor insisted.

Yuuri shrugged and Viktor looked around the room for Inna. She wasn’t there, he hadn’t even seen her leave.

“Are you sure they aren’t killing each other?” Viktor asked. He was joking but there was real concern in his voice that he couldn’t hide.

“No. But I thought it best they work things out themselves.”

“Yuuri you know these are teenage girls you’re talking about?” Viktor asked. In so many ways Yuuri was brilliant, but this was not one.

Yuuri let out a little chuckle, not taking Viktor seriously.

It was as if they knew Viktor and Yuuri were talking about them because a moment later both girls walked in. They matched the odd looks Yuuri and Viktor’s gave them. But other than that they seemed to be acting perfectly nice toward each other. It was weird. They were never outright hostile but they weren’t friendly either.

“What?” Inna snapped at their stares as she picked up a piece of cake. It was obvious that they weren’t going to get anything out of the two of them.

Later that afternoon they made their way to the ice for practice. Viktor wasn’t sure how but with enough encouraging from Lutz, Inna, and himself, they all managed to convinced Yuuri to get on the ice. Only Viktor remained off the ice and he watched the rest of them do their warm ups with a genuine smile on his face. But just as they were supposed to start working on their programs, Lutz had other things in mind.

“Yuuri skate for me!” Lutz begged and grabbed her coach’s hand before dragging him toward the center of the rink.

Viktor couldn’t help but grin as Yuuri nervously ran his free hand through his hair as he looked around at all the other people standing around the rink who were now starting to watch.

“I don’t think so.” He said and slipped his hand from hers, and started to skate backwards away from her.

“But it’s my birthday and I even cried today.” She countered and started to chase him around.

Yurri laughed and the sound made Viktor’s heart skip a beat. It was such a rare sound and Viktor had grown to really appreciate its rare appearance.

“I’d like to see you skate.” Inna piped in with a sly grin pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Viktor in that moment realized that Inna and Lutz becoming friends might actually create a problem. The two of them teamed up had the potential to get into a lot of trouble. Inna was stoic most of the time but Viktor recognized her sharp wit, combine that with Lutz’s infectious confidence and it was a recipe for disaster.

“Me too.“ Viktor chimed in and couldn’t hide his smile as Yuuri looked at him pleadingly.

Lutz was smiling now and started chanting his name, Viktor and Inna joined in immediately getting louder and louder until they were shouting.

“Alright, alright.” He shouted back and waved his hands for them to stop. Yuuri’s face was flushed with embarrassment but he was grinning. It was adorable.

“What do you want me to skate?” he asked Lutz who had a devious smile.

“You know.” She said simply.

Viktor was fascinated by the look they shared in silence. There was something more to this exchange and Viktor wondered what it was.

“Anything but that.” Yuuri pleaded, it was amusing to watch him negotiate with his student. But it seemed unlikely that this was an argument he was going to win. Viktor caught Yuuri quickly glance in his direction before looking back to Lutz. It made his curiosity grow even more.

Wordlessly, Lutz just crossed her arms and looked determined. Finally Yuuri caved, his shoulders sagging.

“Fine. But this is only because it’s your birthday.” Yuuri said with a heavy sigh, and pointed his finger firmly at her as he skated back toward the middle of the rink.

Lutz hopped in excitement and squealed before she and Inna made their way to join Viktor at the barrier.

Yuuri stood in the center of the rink with his hands on his hips for a minute. He shook his head, like he wasn’t sure how he’d been conned into skating for this small, but ravenous, audience. To Viktor’s surprise Yuuri looked at him one last time before getting into the starting position of whatever mystery program he was about to skate.

Suddenly Yuuri began to move with a fluidity and grace that took his breath away. He had seen Yuuri skate the other night, bits and piece of old routines. It had been wonderful but it was nothing like this. It only took a few moments for Viktor to realize that this was no mystery program at all, with a sinking feeling in his stomach he recognized it. It was the last free program Viktor ever competed with. 

As Yuuri reached the first jump Viktor held his breath until Yuuri landed solidly. He had reduced the rotation to only a double, most likely to reduce the strain on his body. What surprised Viktor the most as he watched this man perform his old routine was the incredible amount of emotion Yuuri was able to put into it. He sold the story with everything he had and it made the hair on Viktor’s arms stand on end.

Every reach of Yuuri’s hands, every spin, captivated Viktor, his eyes were glued to the other man. It was far from a technically perfect performance, Yuuri had stumbled a little landing a double toe loop as he grew tired. He was not in the kind of shape to pull off such tough choreography but Viktor hardly noticed.

When Yuuri had finished, arms outstretched above his head, Viktor felt far away, Yuuri had taken him on a journey he was not prepared for and he wasn’t sure how to come back. It wasn’t until Lutz and Inna started clapping that Viktor was really able to process that it was over.

Breathing heavily Yuuri skated over to where his eager audience awaited him. He was smiling but there was also a sheepishness to his posture as he glanced at Viktor, looking for approval. Unfortunately for Yuuri, Viktor was still in too much shock to return his look.

Lutz and Inna both started to gush about how wonderful it was when Yuuri reached the barrier. They were right, Yuuri had done a beautiful job. Even being out of practice, there were somethings you never forget. Viktor suddenly realized that if Yuuri had not been injured all those years ago, there was no doubt in Viktor’s mind that Yuuri would have beaten him with ease.

“That was one of Viktor’s programs, right?” Inna asked.

Yuuri nodded. “It was you’re farewell to skating.” Yuuri said addressing Viktor now.

 It wasn’t a question but a statement, one that surprised Viktor. He had never stated publicly that farewell had been his theme for that program. It wasn’t hard to see the greater meaning behind it, but no one had ever asked. But Yuuri didn’t have to, he already knew.

Viktor nodded, his heart in his throat choking out any words that might come.

Yuuri seemed to take his silence as disapproval and he began to stammer. “I’m sorry. I learned this years ago, I just thought it was so beautiful when you preformed it the Grand Prix final. It’s always been one of the girl’s favorites.”

“Yurri,” He interrupted with a smile. “It was stunning.”

The words come out thick and Viktor wanted to tell Yuuri how touched he is but the words get stuck. But the look of relief and pride on Yuuri’s face make him feel as if that it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inna’s not a monster and Viktor is completely smitten! Next up teenaged shenanigans and the first competition!! WOO!  
> Next update might take a little bit longer but don’t fear I am working on it!  
> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to let me know what you think!


	6. We take Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter is a little late, it was really hard for me to get through for some reason. But hope you like it.

Yuuri stood at barrier of the rink as he was the only one not on the ice today. Viktor was out there helping Lutz with one of the combination jumps from her free skate. Yuuri watched them intently as Viktor was talking to Lutz intently, looking her straight in the eyes and using his hands to explain something when their language barrier became a problem.

He couldn't help but smile at the fair cute scene playing out before him. Lutz seemed to be listening carefully to whatever Viktor was saying. She nodded at something he said before she started to skate around the rink and picked up speed. She landed the first jump and then the second, it wasn’t perfect but it was best she had done in weeks, and almost involuntarily Lutz raised her arms in excitement. Viktor clapped for her and Inna, who had been going over some old practice notes, turned toward her too.

Yuuri clapped and shouted his encouragements from off to the side as he felt a sudden relief. She had been trying to land those jumps for weeks. Yuuri had given her all the advice he had and he finally caved and asked Viktor for help. Lutz had gotten help from Viktor before but it was always in passing during their practices. It was never because Yuuri was inadequate and not able to help Lutz the way he should. He knew he shouldn’t feel bad, they had fallen into a habit of helping each other and filling in the gaps when it came to something they didn’t know. They had become a team and despite Yuuri and Viktor each having their own skater to worry about the line that separated them had started to blur. Even with all of that Yuuri still had trouble asking for help. Thankfully Viktor didn’t seem to mind his weird shy ways.

After that excitement they decided to take a break and Lutz and Inna started to chat while Viktor came over to where Yuuri. They both laughed a moment later as Lutz and Inna skated pass them as they stood at the barrier.

“Lutz! Don’t you dare post that picture!” Inna threatened, she was trying very hard to act angry.

“Why? The world can’t know the ice queen can smile?” Lutz asked with a laugh and held her phone behind her back as she skated backwards away from Inna.

“Careful! You’ll sprain an ankle. Can’t have you hurting yourself the day before you leave for your first competition. ” Viktor scolded them, fighting a smile. He then turned to Yuuri as the girls continued to bicker. “Looks like they’re getting a long.”

Yuri groaned softly, but even he was amused by their antics. “The last thing Lutz needs is a partner in crime.”

“Oh how bad could it be?” Viktor grinned, and almost as soon as the words leave his mouth Yuuri saw his grin fall. Yuuri could practically see the wheels turning in Viktor’s head as he took the time to actually think about the consequences of those two forces of nature teaming up in any capacity.

Yuri laughed at the sudden change in Viktor’s expression. “If you think two of them are bad, you couldn’t even begin to image the struggle of dealing with three of them all at once.”

“You coached both of her sisters, right?” Viktor’s eyes widen at the thought. “I don’t know how you did it.” He said almost reverently.

“’I’m not sure either.” Yuri said with a small laugh. He rested his elbows on the barrier and leaned forward. “At first I was just teaching them the basics. It actually felt more like babysitting than coaching. All three of them had been on the ice since the moment they could walk. I think Yukko just dragged me to the rink when she wanted to tire them out.”

Viktor chuckled and leaned against the barrier, resting his arms where his elbow brushed Yuuri’s.  “Do her sisters still skate?” he asked.

“Yes but only for fun. Since they’re older now they teach the beginner classes at their family’s rink especially now that I’m gone, but they both gave up on competitions. When they quite I think I was more devastated than Lutz.” Yuuri laughed. “I felt like I had failed as a couch.”

Yuri pulled out his phone to show Viktor the lock screen, it was an older picture of Yuri and the girls at the last competition they all competed at which was almost 4 years ago.

“It is only nature for children move on.” Viktor said softly. That response surprised Yuuri, and he glanced at Viktor who was looking at the photo with a dreamy expression, his eyes seemed a little far away. He hadn’t expected that kind of thoughtfulness from him, but maybe he should have. Viktor did seem to have a way of knowing just what Yuuri needed to hear.

“I know, but I always felt too under qualified to be a coach. Even in the beginning when they were just kids and now,” He paused at looked over at Lutz who was still teasing Inna, whose face was flushed scarlet by now. “Now she’s competing at the highest level and I feel like we’re both in over our heads.”

“Yuri, you are a great coach.” Viktor said. Yuuri could tell he was being sincere and deep down he wanted to accept the compliment so badly but his insecurities made it nearly impossible. But when Yuuri looked at Viktor he was caught off guard at the tenderness of his expression.

“Thanks.” He said lamely and there was something in Viktor’s expression that made the words kind of spill out. “But when her sisters quit I figured it was only a matter of time before Lutz quit too. I almost hoped that she would, or that she’d try and find another coach when she got serious. To just spare me the shame of being the reason she fails.” Yuuri admitted quietly. He’d never admitted any of that to anyone before, not even Yuuko or Minako or even his sister. His hands tightened around the phone in his hand. “Doesn’t seem like being a very good coach to me.”

Yuuri can feel his mood start to plummet and he was disappointed in himself, he doesn’t have the time to feel sorry for himself, he had done that enough. But his downward spiral was suddenly halted when Viktor’s hand reached out to cover his. Yuuri’s body tensed up and his head snapped to look at Viktor who was staring right back with that same look of tenderness that made Yuuri’s body feel like it was about to melt.

“Yuri, there is no one in the world who can coach her like you can. You’ve known her since she was a child, you’re like family. She trusts you and you give her the freedom to express herself however she pleases. You gave her the story of your career and she’s chosen to bring to life. You think it’s because she wants to impress the judges? She’s doing this for you, because you mean that much to her.” Viktor said with such conviction it startled Yuuri.

He turned away from Yuuri before continuing and he stared across the ice at nothing in particular and Yuuri was thankful to be free of that intense stare. “Most coaches put their pride before their skaters. Thinking only of what will please the judges and not what their skaters want to. It’s their body and time they put into this sport, they should have that freedom. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I fought with Yakov over my programs simply because he thought judges wouldn’t like them. You do more for her than you even realize.”

Yuri felt tears burn at the corners of his eyes and he hates himself for it. Of course a lighthearted conversation ends with Yuuri crying. He tried to fight them off and the settle heavily in his eyes, threatening to fall.

Without a second thought Yuri wrapped his arms around Viktor’s shoulders from behind in a large hug and held him tight. Viktor nearly jumped in surprise but he doesn’t pull away. They stay like that for a minute until Viktor reached up and placed his hands on Yuri’s wrists. Yuri pulled away and he already knows he face must be a bright crimson at this point.

“I’m…I didn’t -’ Yuuri stammered as he reached behind himself to rub his neck.

“It’s ok.” Viktor brushes his apology away.

“Uh…thank you.”

Viktor didn’t really respond, he only smiled reached out to grab the barrier with his hand on Yuuri’s. The silence between them is thick and Yuuri feels something stir inside him. He can’t put a name to this emotion or the way it makes his stomach to flips.

“Yuuri!” Lutz shouted as she skated up to where Viktor and Yuuri standing, effectively breaking up the moment Viktor and him were sharing. Viktor pulled his hand away quickly and Yuuri felt disappointment wash over him but he pushed it away quickly as he turned to Lutz.

Lutz was in front of him in a flash nearly bouncing in excitement as Inna came up behind her looking uncharacteristically excited as well. ”Olivia just invited me and Inna to her birthday party tonight. Can we go? Please Yuuri!”

Yuuri hesitated, “Which one is that?” he asked sheepishly.

Lutz rolled her eyes.

“Yuuri.” She whined and looked exasperated at his inability to remember people’s names. “Please, we hardly do anything fun and it’s not even that big of a party.”

Yuuri opened his mouth to respond but Viktor cut him off.

“Lutz you are free to go if Yuuri says so but Inna, we leave for Calgary tomorrow night. I’m sorry but it’s no time for parties.”

Inna looked like she was going to say something but of course it was Lutz who butt in again, “If Inna can’t go I won’t go.”

“I’m sorry Lutz. I won’t change my mind.” Viktor insisted while looking apologetically at Lutz.

Yuuri tried to look sympathetic. “They’re will be more parties.” Was all he said as he tried to lift the frown that had settled on her face.

Inna seemed to be reserved though out the conversation, not wanting to get on anyone’s bad side. Yuuri could understand that and but regardless the rest of practice was tense but eventually it faded and Lutz managed to land her combination jumps consistently while Inna ran through her programs the last few times she would have time before she left the next day. That afternoon Lutz has tutoring so that left Yuuri with a free afternoon to work with Inna on some more ballet. She had improved a lot since working with him but there was still plenty to do. Hopefully by the end of the season she would give the whole skating world a run for their money.

“Did you have any ballet training back in Russia?” Yuuri asked Inna about half way through their practice as they worked on her arm positions for during her spins. “I thought it was common for Russian skaters to do supplemental ballet training.”

Yuuri heard Viktor snicker in the back of the studio as Inna expression turned sour with her one of her arms still above her head as she tried to hold it in fourth position.

“What?” Yuuri asked, not sure what he was missing.

“Should I tell him? Or would you like to?” Viktor teased with a grin on his face.

Inna scowled and dropped her positon. “Lila refused to train me.” She said shortly and crossed her arms defensively across he chest.

Viktor chuckled. “Are you going to tell him why?”

“I called her an old hag.” She said shortly.

Yuuri held in a laugh. He figured she must have been talking about Lilia Baranovskaya. Yuuri know she was once married Yakov and would still sometimes help and train some of his skaters.

“And?” Viktor prompted, earning another scowl from Inna, even though it did nothing to dampen his amusement.

“I stomped on her foot when I got mad at her.” she said as she looked at the floor before snapping at Viktor who was laughing. “I was only 10 years old.”

Yuuri tried to hide a smile behind his hand at the mental image of a 10 year old Inna getting kicked out of the studio by greatest ballerinas in the world. He leaned over to Inna and spoke quietly so only she would hear him.

“I’m sure she deserved it.” He whispered.

Inna looked at him and a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as she nodded slightly. If there was one thing he had learned about Inna was that everything she did was deliberate and not without reason. So whatever caused her to lash out as a child must have been brought on by something.

“What are you two whispering about?” Viktor complained.

“Nothing that concerns you.” Yuuri insisted and placed a hand on Inna’s shoulder as they tuned around to get back to practice.

Inna laughed at Viktor’s pout which made him look like a spoiled child being left out of some game. The rest of the practice went well and by the end Inna’s technique was looking really good. Yuuri can’t help but feel excited for to see her compete.

That evening Lutz was in a bad mood, clearly still upset at Yuuri about the party. Very rarely did any kind of disagreement between them last more than a couple days and Yuuri was sure that she would be over this by morning. So he did what he always did, which was to give her space and let her work out her feelings herself.

But tonight she was acting odd, she went to her bed early and wouldn’t even look at Yuurr. He decided to follow suit and retired to his room to read for a while before turning in early as well. It had only been a couple hours when he went to the kitchen to get some water and when he passed by Lutz’s room at it was oddly silent. It was still far too early for her to be asleep, she was a night owl like Yuuri and normally he would be able to hear music or some television show she was watching on her computer.

But now her room was silent and the lights were off. Yuuri’s curiosity got the better of him and he opened the door to her room slowly and quietly. The light from the hallway illuminated through the crack in the door and he could make out a pile of dirty clothes in the corner but not much else. He squinted into the dark room and with the help of the little light that came in from the street lamp outside he could see that her bed was empty.

Panic seized Yuuri almost immediately. He stormed over to the bed and pulled back the covers. It was most definitely empty. He walked into the living room and the kitchen again. Their apartment wasn’t very large it’s not like she could be hiding anywhere.

She was gone and he had no idea where she was pure waves a panic started to crash over him. He could hardly think straight and he wasn’t sure what to do. With shaking hands he pulled out his phone and dialed Viktor’s number as if on autopilot. He wasn’t sure why but it felt like the right thing to do.

“Hello Katsuki.” Viktor said as he answered the phone pleasantly.

“Lutz is gone.” Yuuri blurted out. He breathing was fast making it hard to breath.

“What?” Viktor asked.

“She’s not in her room. I don’t know where she is.” Yuuri said, his panic clear in his voice.

“Ok, calm down. I’ll go ask Inna if she knows anything.” Viktor said gently, trying unsuccessfully to calm Yuuri down.

Yuuri automatically nodded in response and he knew Viktor couldn’t see him and he should feel dumb about it but in that moment his throat is tightening up and he can’t seem to get any words out to speak.

There was a long pause and Yuuri could hear Viktor walking around his apartment. Yuuri heard the movement stop and there was another long pause before he heard Viktor’s voice again.

“Inna’s not here either.” He said.

Yuuri felt his stomach drop and he feels like he’s going to be sick. Lutz could be anywhere and a million and one secnarios start to play over in his head, each one worse than the last. The only thing that grounds him even for a moment is Viktor’s voice.

“Yuuri, calm down. I’m on my way.” He said seriously before hanging up.

When Viktor arrived a few minutes later Yuuri was pacing the apartment. Somehow movement seemed to be the only thing to keep his anxiety from overtaking him again. When he answers the door Yuuri instantly feels relief for only a second when he sees Viktor standing there. He’s also thankful that Viktor was now familiar with his apartment from the several times Yuuri had cooked dinner for Inna and Viktor. Yuuri had insisted once he found out that Viktor couldn’t cook and they were living off takeout food.

Viktor walked right into the apartment when he opened the door and grabbed Yuuri’s shoulders before gently and slowly guiding him to the couch and instructing him to sit down. Viktor sat down next to Yuuri and with one hand he held one of Yuuri’s and started to rub circles into the back of it, while he rubbed Yuuri’s back with the other.

Viktor started asking questions as Yuuri slowly started to calm down but he really didn’t know anything. Not to mention it was hard to focus with Viktor’s hands all over him but the contract seemed to ground him and he was thankful for it and for Viktor being so kind and understanding, especially in moments like these where Yuuri was at his worst.

“They probably went to the party.” Viktor pointed out as Yuuri relaxed slightly and put his glasses back on despite not really knowing at which point of the meltdown he took them off.

“Of course they did.” Yuuri groaned with his head in his hands and his panic starts to turn into anger.

Viktor rubbed Yuuri’s back a little more before standing up and pulling out his phone. He told Yuuri to relax and he’d deal with it. Yuuri felt completely drained after his freak out and graciously accepted Viktor’s offer to call the other coaches to find exactly where they were.

It doesn’t take long for Viktor to track down where the party is and when they get an address for the party they walk to where Viktor parked his car. Yuuri thought having a car in the city was impractical but right now he was happy it see it. The ride is nearly silent except for the radio set to a classical station playing quietly and the small thumping sound of Yuuri’s bouncing leg.

When they get to the address and walk inside Yuuri’s early anger intensifies as he seemed to have just walking into a party straight out of some crappy teen movie. The lights are down low and music blares from what feels like every direction. All of the kids he can see have red cups and for a panic moment wonders if there’s alcohol here but before he can start to freak out again he spotted Inna from across the room, her tall blonde frame was hard to miss.

By now Viktor spots her too and leads the way through the sea to teenagers toward her. They aren’t even half way across the room when Inna spots them and her eyes go wide. She shouts something that Yuuri can’t hear over the music and Lutz appears at her side and when she sees them her expression turns immediately guilty.

 “Come on. We’re going home. Now.” Yuuri snapped once they were in earshot before turning around and walking towards the door.

“Yuuri-” Lutz tried to say something and he spun around and look at her, his expression was cold and her argument died on her lips. He didn’t like being stern with her but he was angry and wasn’t in the mood to hear her excuses.

When they get into the car it is silent and tense. Inna and Lutz both looked dejected in the backseat and if Yuuri hadn’t been so upset he might have felt sorry about how sad they looked sitting there.

Eventually Viktor spoke first, breaking the silence. “What were you girls thinking? We had no idea where you were? What if something happened to either of you?”

“I’m sorry Viktor.” Inna said softly as Lutz sat uncharacteristically silently next to her.

“How did you even get out of the apartment? I was in full view of the door the whole night.”

Inna looked down at her hands, clenched in her lap. “I climbed out the window.” She admitted.

“We live on the third floor!” Viktor exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared her down through the rear view mirror.

“There’s a fire escape.” Inna said weakly.

That explanation did very little calm Viktor. “You could have hurt yourself, we leave for Canada tomorrow. You’ve been working too hard to pull something so foolish. There are consequences to your actions Inna. You can’t just-”

Yuuri reached over and placed a hand on Viktor’s knee, which distracted him enough to disrupt his lecture.

“Viktor. Leave it. She knows what she did.” He said calmly. He started to feel sorry for Inna was looking away from everyone and had started to fiddle with the hair elastic that was around her wrist.

Finally Lutz broke her silence. “Yuuri, I’m so sorry. It was all my idea. Viktor don’t blame Inna.” She blurted out all at once.

“I’m going to have to call your parents. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.” Yuuri said after a beat. His anxiety and anger seemed to have burned through all the emotions he was able to feel tonight and it let him eerily calm and mostly tired.

He could feel Viktor’s eyes on him, but from the corner of his eye he couldn’t make out the expression.

The drive was thankfully short and within a few minutes they get out of the car, all silent again. Yuuri stands in the direction of their apartment and motions for Lutz to follow. She turned to Inna to say something but Yuuri interrupted them.

“Lutz, let’s go home.” He said sternly. It came out harsher than he wanted but he was exhausted now and just wanted to go home.

Lutz stood there looking at Yuuri and he can’t really make out her expression until she started to cry.

“Please don’t be mad at me.” She managed to say through her tears.

Yuuri instantly feels awful but in the back of his mind he wonders if this is just a show to make him feel sorry for her, but he immediately pushes that thought away. Even with all of her smarts she wouldn’t manipulate him like that and his stoic façade crumples like a piece of paper. He walked over and wraps his arms around her. She continues to cry and hugs him back.

“It’s ok. But I was scared. You can’t do stuff like this. It’s just me and you out here. Ok?”

“I’m sorry.” She said and wipes her face on his shirt. He cringes internally but he is also amused, it’s like she’s six years old again and stubbed her toe. He squeezes her one last time before giving her a small kiss on the top of her head and letting her go.

“I’m still going to have to call your mother. But I think I can make her understand.” Yuuri said with a small grin.

She laughed weakly but nodded in agreement.

Lutz turned and gave Inna a hug since she wouldn’t be at practice tomorrow. Inna and Viktor would both be getting ready to leave for Canada. Lutz also apologized to Viktor who is also visibly less upset now. All the high emotions of the night seemed to have calmed down for now. Before they leave Yuuri catches Viktor’s eye and Viktor gives him a small smile. Yuuri doesn’t quite know what it means but the acknowledgement for some reason makes his heart feel lighter than it has for the past couple of hours.

Yuuri wants to tell Viktor how much he appreciated his help and how much he values him as a friend. But with the girls around it feels odd, for Yuuri it feels like something that should be said in private. Yuuri settled for smiling back and waving before turning around and heading home.

* * *

 

When the Skate Canada’s competitions started the skater’s lounge at the rink became a mad house full of people all huddling around the single television to watch the competition. But it was only when the Ladies programs began that Yuuri and Lutz muscled their way in to watch too. It seemed everyone else had the same idea and it was as if everyone at the rink came to watch their rink mate compete, meaning all the seats were taken and people were sitting all over the floor.

As the skaters on the television went onto the ice for their warm up, some people shouted when they saw Inna among them. They started to talk about her costume that was mostly covered by her red and white team jacket she still had on. It was an American broadcast so it focused mostly on the American skater that was there but Yuuri spotted Viktor in one of the clips shown as the skaters started to leave the ice before the short programs would begin. Yuuri felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of him, he looked very much the part of a coach with his suit and coat.

Inna was the second to skate and the crowd in the room started to buzz with excitement. The first skater to go was Canadian, she was in her early twenties and had light brown hair tied up in a tight bun with bright red lipstick. Her program was to some French song and the crowd loved it. They even started clapping along at some parts. It was a strong program to start off with. Yuuri could feel himself start to get nervous for Inna. He knew she liked to pretend she was hard on the outside but he knew she was probably shaken by a performance like that. 

Now it was Inna’s turn and the cameras focused on Viktor and Inna where they stood at the side of the rink. With her team jacket off they get the first good look at her costume. It’s a cream colored dress that went up to her neck and had mesh sleeves that were covered in sparkly gems and sequins. It was beautiful, she looked every inch of the ice princess she pretended to be. But Yuuri could hardly focus on that when his stomach felt like it was doing flips the entire time Viktor was on screen. But he also wanted to laugh as Inna was clearly ignoring Viktor who was giving her last minute notes. Viktor looked incredibly serious as he spoke to Inna. She turned to face him eventually and nodded, but before she skated away without warning Viktor reached out and gave her a hug.

Lutz chuckled next to him. “Wow, I can feel her discomfort for a few thousand miles away.” Lutz muttered as Inna tried to hide her shocked expression from the camera that was now zooming in on their ‘tender’ moment. Yuuri laughed as he saw Inna pat Viktor’s back tentatively before he let her go.

She took a moment to steady herself as she skated around the rink, not looking or waving at the crowd.

“Inna Morozov, representing Russia is on the ice now. Only 16 years old. Gold medalist at Junior Nationals last year, this is her senior debut. Left her home rink in Russia to train with former champion, Viktor Nikiforov in the states. It was a surprising move but I guess we’re about to find out if it was the right one.” The commentator said as Inna’s program started. Yuuri tried to tune them out and only focused on Inna. He didn’t really want to hear what they had to say about Viktor.

“She’s nervous.” Lutz whispered as Inna skated to center ice and got ready to begin.

Yuuri nodded in agreement.

Her face looked scared as she got into her starting position but as the music started that look faded into to one of determination. The music for her sort program was a dramatic classical number that Viktor had picked out for her. Her first jump combination was solid and Yuuri can tell that his dance lessons had helped with her step sequences. They were as smooth as he’s ever seen them but none of the emotion seemed to reach her face and there was still a stiffness as she got into her jumps. Besides that her performance was almost technically perfect until that stiffness caught up with her and as she went for her last jump, a triple axel, and she wasn’t able to the speed she needed and she lost a rotation.

When she finished the program she smiled tightly and waved to the crowd, almost mechanically. Viktor didn’t say much when he and Inna make it to the kiss and cry. The complete opposite of Yakov who was known for grilling skaters the moment they stepped of the ice. Instead they sat and talked softly as they waited for her scores come in.

The score was good, very good. Her high technical score made up for her lack of performance points. In the lounge some people cheered, it doesn’t break any records but it lands her just behind the Canadian by a single point going into the free program. By the end Inna is still in second place.

The next day Inna's skate is second to last and the lounge seems to be even more crowded than it was the day before. Much like before the short program Inna hardly seemed to notice Viktor’s existence as he talked to her. But unlike yesterday, he doesn’t go for the hug again.

For this program her costume is based off the music, ‘Firebird’. A red dress with a low back and silver crystals around the neck attached to mesh that gives an illusion of a necklace. She looked polished and ethereal with her hair tied up in a sleek pony tail. The piece was cliché to some people since so many skaters had used the piece before, but Viktor had told Yuuri that she had picked that piece herself. How was Viktor supposed to say no to that?

As she got into her starting position program her face gets that same look of determination. The air in the lounge is tense as the whole rink seems to have held their breath at the same time Inna’s music started. It was a nearly flawless performance, if not a little lifeless.

When the scores are announced it put Inna in first place but there is still one more skater to go. The Canadian does incredibly well again and bumps Inna from the top by a handful of points. At the medal ceremony, Inna seemed to look bored with her silver medal around her neck.

Lutz sent her a text later that evening telling her that that she could at least pretend to be happy with a silver medal.

When Inna and Viktor returned, Yuuri and Lutz meet them at the airport before taking them out to dinner to celebrate the silver medal. Inna had a harder time playing of her win with Lutz hovering excitedly. Her cheeks even turned a bright shade of pink when Lutz asked if she could hold it.

Practice became intense after that, with Inna and Lutz both more focused than ever now that competitions had started and they knew what was ahead of them. It came faster than Yuuri would have liked but it’s time to leave for Paris. Viktor and Inna saw them off to the airport and to Lutz’s surprise Inna was the one who reached out and gave her a quick hug before wishing her good luck. When Yuuri turns to Viktor to say his goodbye he suddenly feels uncertain about what to do. What’s appropriate? A hand shake? A hug?

Before Yuuri had time to come to any conclusion Viktor was already pulling him into a quick embrace and he hated to admit it but it sent his head spinning. The feeling of Viktor pressed up against him was a lot to take in at once but as quickly as it began it was over and Yuuri was headed for the security gate. Even after he and Lutz were seated at their gate he could swear he still feel his cheeks burning.

When they arrived in France it was early in the morning the day before the Ladies short program was to start and it didn’t give them enough time to do anything more than sleep off the jetlag. They ended up both waking up early the day of the competition and they headed off to the rink to get some last minute practice in.

The first half of the day seemed to drag on and Yuuri still felt the heavy hands of fatigue weighing on him, although Lutz hardly seemed phased. He thought wistfully about a time when he was resilient to jetlag. Lutz was focused and ready as she started her warm ups before the short programs were about to start. Lutz was skating last and it was a good position for her to be in. She liked knowing the scores she needed to beat before getting on the ice, it was a good motivator for her. 

Yuuri on the other hand hated when she went last. His nerves would rise with each skater that went on to the ice, their scores getting higher and higher. Competitions were probably harder on Yuuri than they were for Lutz. It was as if he held on to the anxiety for the both of them, allowing Lutz to focus. It was a good system but it did leave him feeling just as drained as if he had skated that day.

By the time Lutz was next to go Yuuri’s stomach was in knots and his hands were sweating. Yuuri was holding on to her discarded black Japan team jacket while she was doing some last minute stretches as the current skater finished up their program. Lutz’s costume was a simple black dress with thin straps made of a sheer fabric, it was more restrained compared to some of the other flashy costumes they had seen that day, with only a few sequins and gems accenting the sides of her waist for a little bit of sparkle. Yuuri’s favorite part of the costume was that the underside of the skirt was red for a flash of color.

The Italian skater that was before Lutz finished their routine and the crowd erupted in applause. Lutz silently took off her skate guards and stepped on to the ice before turning back and looking at Yuuri. She stood right in front of him and he gently took her hands in his. Yuuri could feel his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest.

“If you fall...get up.” Yuuri said, his tone firm but he saw Lutz crack a small smile through her hyper focused façade.

To other people Yuuri’s statement wouldn’t have made much sense. But it had become one of the many small and odd rituals he shared with her.

It was based on an old Japanese proverb that literally meant seven falls, eight getting up. It was something one of Yuuri’s old coaches used to tell him when he was younger and for some reason it had stuck with him. So Yuuri had started using it with the girls when he started coaching them and Lutz had always hated it.

As he looked into her eyes, he let the importance of what was about to happen sink in. Yuuri tried to stay in the moment and take it all in but he couldn’t help but think of a memory that he held very close to him. It was when Lutz was 12 and she was trying to learn the triple axel, it hadn’t been going well. It was during a one on one practice and she hadn’t managed to stick a landing yet and Yuuri could tell she was getting frustrated. He had pulled out the quote and Lutz had glared at him.

“I hate that saying.” She nearly growled, her tiny gloved hands balled into fists at her sides.

“Why?” Yuuri said with a chuckle.

“It’s stupid.” She said and crossed her arms across her chest.

“It’s a very old quote.” Yuuri pointed out.

“That doesn’t make it good.” She countered.

“That might be true, but it’s something everyone can relate to. It’s about trying again when you fail because if you don’t get up you’ll never get anywhere.” He tried to explain.

“I know what it means. I just don’t like it.”

“Why is that?” he asked, curious as to why a 12 year old would have such a hard time accepting an ancient proverb.

“Because it’s not true.” She said, quieter and less angry than before.

“What do you mean?” Yuuri asked, not sure where she was going with this.

She looked down at her feet. “Well…you never got up.”

Yuuri felt like he was punched in the gut. “What?”

“You fell. You hurt yourself and you never got up. You don’t skate anymore but that doesn’t make you a failure.” She said and started to look around at everything accept Yuuri.

“But I didn’t stay down.” He tried to argue.

“You don’t compete anymore. You’re stuck here in Hasetsu!”

Yuuri chuckled. “Well I’m too old now.” He pointed out. “And I like it here. It’s my home.”

Lutz scowled at him. “You know what I mean.”

He sighed. “I do, but what makes you think I’m not doing exactly what I want to be doing? What makes you think I don’t love coaching you and your sisters?” He asked.

She shrugged and wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“I didn’t stay down Lutz.”

The next day she landed the jump and Yuuri had made the modified proverb a part of their pre-skate routine. The first time he said it Lutz rolled her eyes, but it became something that had a special meaning for the both of them.

Yuuri was brought back to the moment when Lutz’s name was called over the loud arena speakers, she gave him a brisk nod and left him standing at the barrier. She skated around the rink, smiling and waving to the crown and especially the judges. Yuuri grinned, she always knew when to turn on the charm.

She got into her starting position with her arms raised in front of her face, a second later her music started with a low and steady drum beat. It was like a switch flipped and it was show time. Yuuri could feel himself hold his breath as her first jump combination came up, a triple flip and a triple toe combination. She landed it perfectly and Yuuri caught the smile on her face as she jumped into a sit spin.

Yuuri couldn’t look away and neither could the audience. Lutz always had a way of capturing people’s attention. By now the music had picked up as she moved into a step sequence Yuuri can tell as she started to let go, letting herself feel the music as she got into the more dance like elements. But when the next jump, a double axel, came up she’s almost got caught off guard by it and her movements weren't as clean as they should have been. The jump was low and the landing was rocky at best.

He sucked in a breath but to his surprise Lutz hardly seemed phased by the hiccup and was able to recover and landed her next jump a triple loop with ease. She turned on the charm again as she skated past the judges and pointed at them, Yuuri swears he even saw her wink at them. The crowd ate it up at as she beautifully transitioned from a spread eagle into a layback spin. The rotations of the spins start to land on the beat to the music as she pulled her leg up into a Biellmann spin. She was magnetic and all eyes are on her. Yuuri felt himself gripping onto the barrier, his entire body was tense and anxious as the crowd grew louder and her program approached the end.

The music ended as she dropped out of her spin and into her ending pose with her arms above her head. The arena erupted into applause and Lutz covered her face as she became overwhelmed with emotion. A moment later she looked up and started waving and smiling at the crowd who grows even louder, she sure knew how to make an entrance.

Lutz made her way around the rink taking in her praise and picking up few of the flowers and stuffed toys that were thrown onto the rink. When she’s made her way to the exit and Yuuri was there with open arms and she doesn’t hesitate to accept his hug. Yuuri can see the flash of cameras off to the side, he knows he should probably feel embarrassed. Most coaches tend to be more professional but Yuuri wasn’t like most coachs and he was ok with that.

They made their way over to the kiss and cry and awaited the score. Lutz was still breathing hard and despite all of her smiles she started to talk to Yuuri in rapid Japanese about what she needed to work on for next time. Yuuri couldn’t help but grin at her but the moment her score is announced she fell silent. Even with the flubbed landing, she was in second place and the Italian skater who had gone before her was in first.

The rest of the day rushed by and Yuuri spent most of it hovering behind Lutz as she did a few interviews and signed a few autographs. When they get back to the hotel, Yuuri was exhausted and feeling thankful that Lutz was so well spoken for a 17 year old, reliving him of having to be the one to speak for her.

They had another big day tomorrow with the free skate so they both decided that collapsing into bed and ordering room service was the way to go. Lutz spent most the night messaging her sisters all the info she was able to get on the other skaters.

Despite not knowing any French, besides ballet terms, Yuuri turned on the TV and the foreign language seemed to work like some kind of lullaby because it didn’t take long for Yuuri’s eyes to grow heavy. As he got ready for bed he checked his phone one last time and he was surprised to see a message from Viktor. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that familiar name on the screen.

 _‘She was wonderful.’_ The message was short and simple but Yuuri can feel a strange sense of warmth come over him.

The next day they get do get to the rink early again and with Lutz in second place it means she’ll be skating second to last. It’s another long day ahead of them and it plays out much the same for Yuuri, his anxiety ever growing as the skaters perform and get their scores. He only finds relief once when a French skater and crowd favorite, falls several times in her program, but that automatic relief also makes him feel guilty knowing how disappointed she must feel.

About an hour before its Lutz’s time to go on Yuuri takes her phone.

“But I’m messaging Axel and Loop.” She tried to protest.

“Then they’ll understand.” Yuuri said smugly and tucked the phone away in pocket of his jacket. She rolled her eyes and gave up on her protest quickly. It was all a part of another one of their strange habits picked up over the years after Lutz got into an argument with someone online right before a competition. It had gotten to her and she cared that distraction on to the ice and it had reflected poorly in her performance. She was sensitive with what people said about her, especially online. So it was a compromise, she could keep social media but not right before skating.

So instead Lutz settled for watching the skaters before her intensely. Yuuri stood next to her as the South Korean skater that had placed just below Lutz the day before was performing. Her spins were great and her jumps were clean and Yuuri felt the ball of nerves that had settled in the pit of his stomach rear its ugly head. The only thing that kept the anxiety form overwhelming him was the fact that the program was boring. It was executed well but the song and the choreography just wasn’t that interesting. Sometimes not even the best performance can make up for a lack luster routine.

Sooner than he would have liked it was Lutz’s turn and Yuuri’s heart started to beat faster and faster. Lutz stepped onto the ice and turned to face Yuuri. After their usual exchange and some last words of encouragement she left him to make her way to center ice after first making a lap around the rink to wave to the crowd. Yuuri can tell she was nervous but she was able to hide it well as she moved into her starting position.

She started the program with her arms at her sides and her feet together. When the music started Yuuri held his breath. Every time she skated it it was as if his body thought that if he relaxed even for a moment it would somehow affect Lutz’s performance. He knows it’s irrational but that doesn’t stop him from tensing up every muscle in his body and gripping on to the barrier for dear life.

The music started off with delicate piano and she raised her arms with a grace that matched the music perfectly. She started to skate and Yuuri for the first time is able to take a moment and appreciate how far she’d come.

Her first jump was a combination with a triple flip and a triple toe that she lands it cleanly as the music picks up. The atmosphere of this program was so different than her short program but she managed to bring the same kind of intensity to it. She landed two more jumps, a triple salchow and a double loop, before the music changed.

The music fell away she raised her right leg into an arabesque and leans forward so her body is perpendicular to the ice and she raises one of her arms. The position is graceful and in the lull of the music it’s breathtaking. This was the part of the music that was supposed to represent his injury and his absents from the sport. Seamlessly she transitioned into a spread eagle that led into a triple axel before the music picked up again. It was supposed to represent his return, but this wasn’t about him anymore. It was about Lutz and it started to show.

On her next jump, a triple flip, her foot slipped on the landing and she fell. She was up in an instant but the gasp that rippled through the crowd didn’t go unnoticed by Lutz. She was visibly shaken but she got up and continued. On her next combination the first jump was solid but on the second, the landing was shaky and she ended up brushing her hand against the ice.

There was a part of Yuuri that feared she was about to fall apart, but that fear is put to rest as she entered the step sequence. Lutz let herself go, feeling the music and letting it guide her. It was her strength and weakness. It was a good way to get performance points but if she lost focus even for a second that same kind of intensity could lead to mistakes. But today it was a strength, as her body flowed gracefully through the choreography. It told a story, it told their story, and the years of Minako’s training were apparent in the way she danced across the ice. 

Lutz landed the last jump with renewed confidence before going into her last spin. She spun to a stop just as the music did, with an arm out stretched to the side, pointing at Yuuri who was gripping the barrier with white knuckles. There was a moment of silence before the crowd began to cheer.

Yuuri could feel a tightness in his throat as Lutz waved to the crowd before quickly making her way off of the ice. Only bending down to pick up a small purple stuffed bear. Yuuir met her at the exit, expecting a similar reaction as the day before but instead she kept her head down. She grabbed her guards out of his hand but didn’t look at him.

“You did great.” He said as he leaned in close.

“I fell.” She said stubbornly.

“But you got up.”

She gave him a withering look and Yuuri just smirked at her before placing a hand on her shoulder to guide her to the kiss and cry.

When the score came in Yuuri felt himself involuntarily shout in excitement before looking at Lutz who was staring at the score in disbelief. She was in first place but only for a few minutes before the Italian skater’s score came in, winning her gold. A Chinese skater ended up with bronze.

She did it and Yuuri could hardly believe it. He couldn’t help but think back to her as a little girl when she won her first medal. The excited look on her face is the same now as it was then. During the medal ceremony, as he watched Lutz stand on the podium and wave, he never felt so proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the whole skating parts of this chapter make sense since I know very little about figure skating lol.  
> And if you were wondering, I based Lutz’s short program off of Ashley Wagner’s short program from last year’s worlds. I saw it and thought it fit the way I was writing Lutz’s personality really well, and for Lutz’s free skate I basically just copied Yuuri’s from the anime and just reduced the rotations on some jumps since ladies’ don’t really do quads. And Inna’s free skate is based on Gracie Gold’s Firebird program, might describe that more in a later chapter. 
> 
> Next chapter the whole gang is off to Japan!!


	7. Good as You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this fic isn't dead! Thanks Winter Olympics!

It is was a 15 hour flight from Detroit to Osaka and Viktor was about lose his mind.

Viktor had spent the majority of his life constantly traveling around the world for competitions and sponsored appearances. He loved to travel but he hated the transit. At this point in his life he had hoped international flights would feel like nothing to him, but that wasn’t the case at all. It seemed the older he got, the less patience he had for sitting in a metal tube for hours on end.

It was around hour 6 when his restlessness started to become unbearable and he turned to Yuuri, who was seated next to him, and insisted that he teach Viktor some Japanese. Yuuri caved in quickly and tried his best but Viktor had never been a particularly good student.  

"Kon'nichiwa, genkidesuka." Yuuri said slowly.

Viktor tried to listen closely and paid extra attention to the pronunciation before he attempted to repeat it back to Yuuri.

He spoke and the words felt wrong and clumsy with his Russian accent. It was nothing like the smooth natural way Yuuri sounded.

Yuuri laughed, but it wasn't unkind.

"Close, but not quite." He said politely as he tried to be encouraging.

"Your language is impossible." Viktor grumbled.

"You act like Russian is so easy." Yuuri said with a smile

Viktor smiled at that. Yuuri had a good point, Russian was an incredibly difficult language, but Viktor wouldn’t admit that so easily.

Yuuri continued to be a very patient teacher and tried to go over a few more phrases. But the flight was long and soon they ended their lesson and they both fell asleep. Viktor stirred at one point during his uncomfortable upright slumber and felt a weight on his shoulder. In his sleepy haze he was disoriented and confused but kept very still as he looked to see that it was just Yuuri, resting against him. The other man was completely asleep with his mouth slightly open, breathing softly.  

It didn’t look very comfortable but Viktor couldn't bring himself to move Yuuri. He stared at him for what felt like hours but in reality, it was probably just a few minutes. Time seemed to lose some of its meaning when flying through international time zones, thousands of miles in the air. He focused on the rise and fall of Yuuri’s chest as he slept. It was a slow and steady rhythm and before Viktor realized it he had fallen asleep again.

When he woke up again he could still remember the feel of Yuuri sleeping on his shoulder and he was disappointed when he opened his eyes and found it gone. Instead Yuuri was flipping through one of the inflight magazines.

Viktor wanted to say something but no words came to mind so he settled for clearing his throat.

Yuuri looked over at the sudden sound and grinned when he saw that Viktor was awake.

“Sleep well?” Yuuri asked with a smug grin as Viktor rubbed the back of his neck where a knot was already forming in the muscles there.

“About as well as anyone can on an airplane.” He said coolly.

Yuuri grinned again. “Well you just missed the announcement. We’ll be arriving in few minutes.”

Those minutes felt like hours to Viktor who was incredibly ready to be free of this metal prison. When the plane arrived at the gate and the other passengers started to rise, Viktor could see Lutz nearly jump out of her seat a few rows ahead of them. Inna on the other hand got up much slower with her travel pillow still around her neck. Even from a few rows away she looked exhausted. It was a good thing they had arrived a couple days early, it would give them time to settle in before the competition started.

As they got off the plane Lutz’s excitement did not fade. Yuri seemed to slowly perk up too as they made their way to the baggage claim, probably eager to see his friends and family. Viktor and Inna followed behind them probably looking like zombies, as if Lutz herself was sucking their energy away as she bounced her way across the airport.

Viktor loved Lutz but at this moment her excitement was not infectious.

As they reached the escalator that took them down to the baggage claim, Viktor tried to mentally prepare himself for meeting Yuuri’s friends and Lutz’s family. But it was a useless idea because there was no way he could have expected the kind of reception that was waiting for him as they reached the bottom of the escalator.

At first there was high pitched squeal that came from the two carbon copies of Lutz who were bouncing in excitement. Viktor knew Lutz was a triplet but seeing the other two Nishigori girls felt like his mind was playing tricks on him.

Viktor and Inna hung back while Yuuri and Lutz moved ahead to have their reunion. Lutz dropped her backpack, which Yuuri automatically picked up, before she ran to her sisters and nearly talked them to the floor with a big hug. While Yuuri went directly to a women who seemed to be around Viktor’s age, she had faded bleached highlights in her dark brown hair and looked a lot like Yuuri. He wrapped his arms around her and they held each other for a moment.

Hugs were being exchanged all around and everyone seemed to start talking at once. Viktor and Inna seemed to have found themselves standing there awkwardly at the edge of all of the love and excitement.

After a moment Viktor cleared his throat to get their attention. In a second everyone stopped talking and looked to him. Viktor suddenly felt very self-conscious with so many eyes on him. He greeted them with a little bit of the Japanese Yuuri taught him on the plane, his accent was terrible but it earned a smug smile from Yuuri and the rest of the group seemed amused by the gesture.

At that an older woman stepped forward. “Hello, I’m Minako Okukawa, I taught Yuri and Lutz everything they know. It’s very nice to meet you Viktor, and welcome to Japan.”

She looked at Viktor with a playful smile as she held out her hand for his, so he played along. He shot her a charming smile that could melt any heart, as he took her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth where he placed a delicate kiss on her knuckles.

“It’s my pleasure.” He said sweetly.

He could swear he felt Yuri and Inna roll their eyes at the same time.

Viktor heard the woman next to Yuuri say something in Japanese as Minako pulled back her hand and said something back in the same language.

“Ahh, yes. Everyone this is Viktor and Inna.” Yuuri said. “I should have introduced you, I’m sorry.”

He pointed at the woman next to him, “This is my sister Mari.”

Next, he pointed to the couple, the man was a stocky solid build and his wife was shorter and had a slighter frame. Viktor could tell she had probably been a skater in her youth. “This is Yuuko and Takeshi Nishigori, Lutz’s parents.”

Yuuko looked at him with a giant smile on her face, and it seemed like she was trying her hardest not to burst with excitement. Her husband seems simply amused by his wife’s excitement. Viktor was flattered.

Last he gestured to the two carbon copies of Lutz, who were now standing right in front of him. “I’m sure you might have guessed, those two are Axel and Loop.”

“So nice to meet all of you, we’ve heard such good things from Yuuri.”

Viktor glanced at Inna who seemed intimidating by everyone staring at them and the language barrier but with a little nudge she said her hellos and introduced herself.

If it had been up to her she probably would have preferred to hang back while everyone chatted but Lutz had different plans. Without any hesitation she was dragged by Lutz over to her sisters where they all started talking, going from English to Japanese and back faster than Viktor could keep up with. Inna’s eyes were wide as they spoke but she seemed to be getting along fine and Viktor decided not to worry.

The rest of the night was a blur as they managed to gather their baggage and make it to the hotel. But it wasn’t time for rest yet. Despite being exhausted from travel they were also starving. And if it had been up to Viktor they would have stayed in and fallen asleep eating room service. But the group had other plans to go to a restaurant near the hotel and when Yuuri asked them to join, how could Viktor say no to that?

It had been a very long time since any kind of arrival for a competition had felt so exciting. Since they had a couple days before the completion started there were plans to do some sightseeing which allowed for Yuuri and Lutz to spend time with their family. And it seemed Viktor and Inna were quickly becoming a part of that family.

At the restaurant Viktor ended up sitting in between Yuuri and Minako with Inna all the way on the other end of the long table with the triplets. He wondered if he should offer to go sit by her but despite the heaviness in her eyes she looked…happy. Lutz was talking to her sisters excitedly but was also taking the time to act as translator for Inna, turning to her and speaking in English to keep her involved. Even Axel and Loop tried their best to speak in English when they could.

Yuuri looked at Viktor and followed his stare toward the girls. He smiled. “Glad to see their all getting along.”

Viktor smiled, still watching them. “Inna looks like she’s going to fall asleep in her food.”

“You don’t look much better yourself.” Yuuri said and bumped Vikotr’s knee under the table.

Viktor mocked being offended. “I might have been able to sleep a little better on the plane if I hadn’t so busy being someone’s pillow.”

Yuuri turned pink. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. My shoulder is yours anytime.”  Viktor said and nudged him back with his shoulder.

Yuuri turned a deeper shade of red but he smiled, before getting distracted by his sister who asked him a question in Japanese.

The meal itself was wonderful and he had a great time even if he spent most of it just listening to the others around him or speaking with Minako, who after her third drink became increasingly friendly.

When they finally got back to their hotel room, Viktor and Inna both collapsed on their beds and were out cold in a matter of minutes. The hotel beds were blessedly comfortable compared to the cramped airplane seats. But sooner than either of them would have liked, the alarm they had thankfully remembered to set the night before went off.

There was no time to waste, the NHK Trophy was now only 24 hours away. Yuuri and Lutz met them at the rink for some practice before getting started on their day of sightseeing around the city.

There were a few other skaters at the rink that morning, an ice dancing pair from the US and a female skater from Germany. The girls both stepped on the ice and started their warm ups as Yuuri and Viktor leaned up against the barrier watching them.

“How did you sleep?” Viktor asked, Yuuri who seemed lost in his own little world. The way he always did when he watched the girls skate.  

“Fine.” Yuuri mumbled and yet didn’t take his eyes off of Lutz.

“Yuuri, all of my hair has fallen out and my skin turned green.” Viktor said to Yuuri in a calm voice.

“Hmm.” He responded and nodded his head.

Viktor placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, “Yuuri, what’s wrong?” he whispered.

“I’m worried.” Yuuri admitted and let out a heavy sigh.

“Really?”

“Lutz was quiet this morning.” He said, as if it explained everything. In some ways it did, Lutz was very rarely quiet unless something was wrong.

“That is concerning.” Viktor said in a serious voice, half joking but also understanding.

Yuuri smirked. “Her family is here, I think it might be a distraction.” He said with a sigh.

This answer surprised Viktor. “I thought it would be a good thing, to have her family here to support her. I know she has been missing them.”

“Normally yes, but this is one of the biggest competitions she’s ever been in. Lutz truly loves to skate and she truly skates for herself. But her family took a big risk sending her to train in America and when she starts to think about other people and their expectations, it shakes her. Now with everyone here to support her…I know she’s happy but I worry it’ll go to her head.”

Viktor thought about that for a moment and looked out on the ice where Lutz landed a double axel with some ease. She didn’t come from a family with money like Inna did, it must be a heavy burden to carry while trying to compete.

“You worry too much.” He said finally to Yuuri.

He grinned. “I know.”

Practice went smoothly. If there were any serious nerves, both girls seemed to have a handle on them. They ran through both the short program and free skate, keeping both routines fresh in their minds and going over problem spots when they came up.

By early afternoon they left the rink, freshened up and met up with the rest of the family to explore the city.

Viktor was content to just be along for the ride, just happy to watch Yuuri and Lutz with their family. Inna also went along willing which was a pleasant surprise, despite her growing friendship with Lutz she still wasn’t the best at socializing but she seemed to be on her best behavior.

One of the first places they visit is Osaka Castle. It was located in the middle of a huge park and Viktor was nearly lost in thought until he noticed Yuuri fall in step beside him. They walked silently but Viktor was happy for the company.

The castle was busy and packed with other tourists but Viktor didn’t mind. In all the traveling he did for competitions he never really had a chance to see the sights. Now he almost took pleasure in the small things that went along with being a tourist, like standing in line to buy a ticket.

Once they made they made it to the top floor observation deck, Viktor hung back as the rest of the group was swallowed by the hoards of other tourists milling about. He stared out the windows that gazed down to the park that surrounded it.

“Enjoying the view.” A heavily accented female voice said.

Viktor turned around to see Mari, Yuuri’s sister standing behind him.

He smiled. “It’s beautiful.”

She nodded and moved to stand next to him. She didn’t say anything else at first, so they stood there in thoughtful silence.

“He’s different around you.” She said finally.

Viktor looked at her and raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“My brother.“ She clarified with a smirk that he recognized from Yuuri. “I don’t know if it’s just being around you or if you’ve changed him somehow. But he’s different.”

“Is that a bad thing?” he asked.

She paused. “No.”

Mari looked out the window again, “He was always a shy kid. Skating helped him come out of his shell. I was so worried when he stopped skating he would go back to that person. Thankfully he had the girls. That saved him.”

She took a deep breath, “But now he seems so much more at ease. He’s sure of himself in a way I’ve never seen before.”

“And you think I’m responsible.” Viktor said completing her train of thought.

She grinned knowingly again. “Who can say for sure, but I think you’ve influenced him more than you can even imagine.”

“Well then I have to admit I think that influence has been mutual.” Viktor admitted after a beat of silence.

Mari didn’t ask for an explanation, she simply nodded and Viktor was thankful. He wasn’t sure if he could even explain what he meant by that. Yuuri had changed him, that was for sure, in ways he couldn’t quite verbalize yet. He was a different Viktor then the one that left Russia, even from the one who first spoke to Yuuri at that hotel bar. That night felt like a lifetime ago.

He had been trying to distract himself that night after the competition. Inna had gotten her metal and his job was done. All that was left was to play honorary babysitter to a teenager until they returned home. But with the assistant coaches that traveled with them, he hardly ever had to lift a finger. Viktor had been restless and wanted to drink, because at least that was something to do. Then he met Yuuri.

Viktor looked toward the ground as saw all the tiny people below them walking around the parks that surrounded the old fortress. He started to wonder where he would be if he had not met Yuuri that night. Would he have even bothered to talk to him in Detroit if he hadn’t recognized him? Viktor wanted to say yes but there was no real way of knowing and he didn’t like to think about it.

He was so lost in thought he didn’t realize that Mari had wandered off and that someone else was hovering next to him until they but a hand on his shoulder. He turned around he was greeted by Yuuri this time. Viktor felt himself relax a bit.

“We’re about to get going.” Yurri said and brought Viktor back to the rest of the group.

After the castle they decided to break and meet for dinner later. Viktor and Yuuri took the girls with them and let them lead the way to the more commercial areas, with colorful shops and food vendors crowding the streets.

The air was crisp and even with his coat the early November chill was here as the sun started to sink toward the horizon, it was demanding to be felt. But in the chaos of the crowded street Viktor hardly seemed to notice how the tip of his nose started to turn numb. The flashing lights of all the store fronts danced around above his head and he couldn't help but stare as they passed. He had always loved the time he spent in Japan, the culture and people always so vibrant compared to the brutalist nature of the Russia he grew up in.

Viktor caught Yuuri staring at him with an amused expression, so Viktor elbowed him playfully and the other man let out a musical laugh. A funny feeling fell over Viktor as turned and watched Inna with the triplets, all pointing at different shop windows, somehow able to communicate efficiently with Lutz acting as a translator.

Viktor stole a glance at Yuuri this time, who was looking at the girls with a similar expression, his affection for them was written all over his face.

They walked side by side for a while. Staying a few steps behind the girls, letting them have their space. As they walked Viktor felt Yuuri's hand brush against his. It lasted for barely more than a second but for that second Viktor it felt like the world stopped. It took more restraint than he'd like to admit to keep himself from jumping in surprise at the contact.

Viktor was surprised that he felt anything so strongly but his body wasn’t lying. His heart was beating fast and his palms were now sweaty. He wasn’t sure why he's reacting like some teenager with a crush but what he did know was that he wanted to hold Yuuri’s hand more than anything in the world.

If he had been younger and bolder, or maybe foolish was a better word, he probably would have done it. In the bright lights and chaos of the street, no one would know, no one would notice. He wanted to laugh at himself, he was so worked up at the thought of holding someone's hand and it was ridiculous. Of all the things he had done, this was giving him pause.

But it wasn't just anyone's hand. It was Yuuri.

His heart skipped a beat as he thought about it. What was so special about Yuuri? He thought that would have been a hard question to answer but it wasn’t because the answer was everything. He had never met anyone like Yuuri before and no one had ever made him feel this way. Viktor felt his cheeks warm. He felt almost panicked at the thought of caring for Yuuri as more than a friend. Yuuri was probably his best friend if he was being honest. He didn't think there was anyone who knew him as well, not Chris not Yuri.

He was being ridiculous and he knew it. Viktor took a deep breath, letting the cold air cool him down. He kept taking deep breaths until he could finally think about something else, like the competition that stated tomorrow.

* * *

 

The next morning Viktor’s alarm went off at 5:30 am and when he opened his eyes he was surprised to see that a light already on in the room. He sat up and saw that Inna was already awake and dressed. She was sitting at the small table in the corner of room with her bag at her feet and scrolling through her phone, all ready to go.

He sighed when he saw her. “When did you wake up?” he asked as he rolled onto his back.

Inna chewed on her lip and was quiet for a moment. “Just an hour ago.” She said, but her lie was unconvincing.

“Just an hour?” He asked and turned his head to look at her more closely.

“Maybe two.” She admitted, not looking at him.

He hummed in response, amused that he had been right.

Viktor found out pretty quickly that Inna was an early riser. Most days she was up before Viktor and on those days, she made breakfast, cleaned up, and started on her school assignments all before Viktor was even out of bed. Viktor knew she must sleep at some point although he wasn’t completely convinced. But when it came to competition and nerves it got even worse.

At Skate Canada, Viktor awoke to Inna simply sitting on her bed fully dressed, waiting for Viktor to wake up. It was kind of creepy. He didn’t like to think about her moving around silently while he slept. He had also worried it would affect her skating but she had been fine. She did fall asleep during the taxi ride back to the hotel after the competition, so there was that.

“I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.” She tried to explain, but she didn’t need to.

Viktor thought the behavior was odd but it was something he understood. At the end of his career he rarely lost sleep due to nerves before a competition. But when he was Inna’s age he would toss and turn for hours the night before competing.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he got up again put his feet on the ground.

“Good.” She said but didn’t look at him.

He considered asking more but ultimately decided to leave her be. If she wanted to talk she would. They shared very little conversation as Viktor went through his fairly extensive morning routine, mostly just talking about what they had to do that day. Finally when he is dressed and ready Inna rolled her eyes as Viktor checked his reflection one last time.

“Viktor come on.” She whined.

“I’m coming Innochka.” He said, now taking extra time to run his fingers through his hair one last time, trying to hide the fact that it seemed to look thinner every day.

Inna rolled her eyes dramatically at Viktor’s use of the nickname and he grinned. They made their way down to the lobby where they met up with Yuuri and Lutz before heading to the rink.

The morning was tense, the line-up had Lutz skating first while Inna was last. It wasn’t ideal but they could handle it. They had some brief time on the ice in the morning but soon it was time to go backstage and wait their turn.

Lutz and Inna settled in to some of the folding metal chairs away from the other skaters in the backstage area. They sat next to each other looking at something on Lutz’s phone in between stretching and other warm ups to keep their bodies loose. Viktor still had a hard time wrapping his head around the sudden change in their relationship. One day they were enemies the next day best friends, but it’s not like he was about to complain. It was nice to see Inna getting along with someone.

Yuuri on the other hand spent most of the time back stage pacing. But thankfully the time went by quickly and it was time for the first group of skaters, which included Lutz, to take the ice. But before they left, Viktor heard someone call Lutz’s name from the corner of the room. He turned and saw Yukko standing where the space had been roped off for skaters and their coaches only. She waved and motioned for Lutz to come over to her.

Viktor saw red rise up in her cheeks as Lutz looked embarrassed as all the eyes of all the skaters backstage landed on her. He couldn’t help but smile, it was sweet to see a mother so obviously excited to see her child perform. Viktor couldn’t make out what Yukko was saying but if he had to guess she was saying good luck and probably something about how beautiful she looked. Yukko reached out and touched Lutz’s cheek.

It was a tender moment and he suddenly felt like he should look away. When he did he saw Inna who was also staring at their interaction. Her face was impassive and impossible to read and it made him nervous. That look could mean anything, either she wasn’t far from shutting down or she was just calm. There was no real way to tell until it would be too late, and there wouldn’t be time to fix it.

A second later Inna caught him staring at her and she looked annoyed.

“What?” she snapped in Russian.

He shook his head and felt slightly relived. If she was mad at him, he could deal with that.

Viktor glanced back at Yukko, who was saying her last goodbye to her daughter. Before she left her eyes scanned the room until they fell on Inna. She smiled and waved before shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. “Good luck Inna! Dava!”

Yukko’s accent was strong but the words were clear and now all eyes were on Inna as well. She froze with her cheeks immediately turning red in embarrassment. A moment later she nodded in response before turning around and walking toward the ice, muttering in Russian the entire way. Viktor only caught the words “Japan is weird” before she was too far away.

Yukko looked confused while Lutz just rolled her eyes at her friend’s anti-social antics before telling her mother goodbye.

Now that the first group of skaters were on the ice warming up, Viktor stood by Yuuri who looked like he might be sick.

“She’s going to be fine.” Viktor whispered to him, hating to see Yuuri so worked up.

Just then Lutz went to practice one of her combination jumps but didn’t get enough height and ended up falling pretty dramatically. An audible gasp rippled though the crowd as she got up quickly and tried to brush off the fall. She managed to stay on her feet the rest of the warm up but the landings on her other jumps were looking shaky.

Viktor repeated what he had said earlier before stepping away to give them space as Lutz got ready to do her short program. He saw them put their foreheads together as Yuuri whispered something to her, she nodded and looked serious before making her way to center ice.  

The music started and it was like a switch flipped. Lutz always did know when to turn on the charm. She put on a spectacular performance as the beat picked up. It was going well until she reached her last jump element and ended up dropping a rotation and wobbling on the landing, enough to make her touch the ice with her hand to steady herself. She stayed on her feet but the deduction for the lost rotation would be significant. The rest of the performance seemed off after that, clearly shaken from the mistake.

When she finished she smiled and waved but the moment she let the act drop there was disappointment on her face. They headed over to the kiss and cry, and Yuuri is speaking to Lutz quietly. When the score comes in, it’s ok. Not great but ok.

By the time Inna took the ice, Lutz was in 4th place which wasn’t impossible to come back from.

Butt not it was Inna’s time. She stepped onto the ice and turned around to face Viktor but kept glancing back at the crowd.

He reached forward and grabbed her hands in his, “Look at me.”

Her eyes snapped to his and she looked surprised.

“Forget about them. You’re not skating for them. It’s only you out there, make them watch and don’t let them look away.” He said, looking her dead in the eyes.

She was frozen for a moment, letting his words sink in before she nodded and skated away to the center of the rink to start her short program.

Her performance started strong until she had a messy landing during her combination jump, causing ice to fly up from where her skate hit the ice. Viktor held his breath in the few seconds that followed wondering if she was going to crumble. But she didn’t, instead something amazing happened. It felt almost surreal to watch as he saw Inna’s body finally loosen up just enough to see her really feel the music and for the emotions to come through.

When Inna stepped off the ice Lutz nearly ran over to her and wrapped her a giant hug. Inna looked shocked but happy. Several different photographers turned to capture the moment, it wasn’t unusual for skaters to be friendly but it was a little less common to see skaters from different countries being so openly supportive of each other.

Inna looked to Viktor, still smiling but he could tell she was searching his face for approval. Viktor had tried to keep his expression neutral but it didn’t last long before he cracked a smile and gave her a thumbs up.

The made their way over to the kiss and cry to await her scores.

“You did great.” He said.

“Thanks.” She said, still breathless.

They waited in tense but optimistic silence. Viktor always felt awkward talking to much during the kiss and cry with all of the cameras pointed at them. All ready to capture their reaction with the score are announce.

“Inna Morozov of Russia….72.83.”

Viktor raised his eyebrows in when he saw the score. He knew it had been good but this was better than he expected. He reached out for Inna and pulled her into a side hug.

“I can’t believe it.” She whispered before laughing.

Viktor was surprised but he could defiantly believe it. She had worked hard and she had earned it.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing interviews. Inna did her best to talk to the reporters but it was definitely not an area where she felt comfortable. Once Viktor caught sight of the look of fear in her eyes, he knew it was time for him to take over answering the questions. Most of them had to do with him anyways.

_How did you end up being coached by Viktor? Why have you and Viktor moved to the sates to train instead of staying in Russia? What is your relationship with Lutz Nishigori?_

The last one was a surprise though and as the day went on it seemed more and more people were them asking about Lutz and Yuuri.

“Lutz Nishigori and her coach Yuuri Katsuki are our training partners while in Detroit. The girls work well together and they have learned a lot from training together, especially because of their friendly rivalry.” Viktor explained.

They seemed to explode at the idea of a rivalry, and tried to get more information from him but Viktor wasn’t sure what else there was to say. They were training partners, that was it. But end of their day finally came and they got to go back to the hotel and had a chance to relax for a bit before meeting up with everyone for dinner.

When they got down to the lobby it was busy and crowed with all the other traveling athletes and guests for the competition. Viktor spotted Yuuri and Lutz standing near the entrance. Yuuri had his hair slicked back and he was wearing a navy blue sweater while he held his coat in front of him. Viktor thought he looked amazing, his expression was lost in thought as he scanned the room until he spotted Viktor and smiled. Viktor’s thoughts from the day before reemerged and he tried to think about anything else.

Which was easy when he caught sight of a gloomy looking Lutz.

“What’s wrong?” Viktor asked and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I messed up today, and my entire family was there. I let them down and I feel awful.” She blurted out all in one breath.

Viktor chuckled and looked at Yuuri who just shrugged and explained, “I’ve been telling her all day that she’s fine and that she can still come back with a solid free skate.”

“But what if I mess up again.” She whined at Yuuri.

“You won’t.” Inna said, butting in.

“How do you know?” Lutz groaned, being dramatic.

“Because I’m not going to be up on that podium alone and I know you won’t let me win gold so easily.” Inna said coolly.

Lutz grinned but before she could say anything else Axel and Loop burst into the lobby and rushed toward their sister. They were talking quickly and trying to show Lutz and Yuuri something on their phone.

They were speaking Japanese and pointing to their phone, leaving Viktor and Inna completely out of the loop.

Yuuri chuckled and looked to Viktor with a slightly embarrassed look. “Apparently a photo of Inna and Lutz went viral.”

“What?” Viktor said and Inna shouted at the same time.

Yuuri showed him the phone the headline was in Japanese but he could see the picture of the two girls hugging and smiling from after Inna’s short program. It was a really nice picture.

“What does it say?!” Inna asked impatiently.

 “Japanese and Russian Skaters Form Unlikely Friendship in America.” Yuuri read aloud. He took back the phone and scanned the article quickly.

“Doesn’t say a lot. Just talks about how you train together and have a…friendly rivalry, according to coach Viktor Nikiforov.” Yuuri shot him a questioning look as he finished the article.

“What? Who doesn’t like a good rivalry?” He said innocently.

Inna still looked slightly mortified. “I hope my parents don’t see that.” She muttered to herself.

Viktor was about to ask her what she meant but didn’t get a chance before they were already walking. At dinner the photo and the article was all anyone could talk about. Which Lutz was probably grateful for, since it took some of the pressure off of her less than ideal performance.

It was only his second full day I Japan and he could already feel himself relax and listen to the conversation all around him. He accepted his role as an observer and just tried to take in the sights around him.

Axel and Loop were teasing Inna and Lutz, and despite the sour expression on her face Inna seemed to be having a good time, something he didn’t think was possible a few months ago. Takeshi and Yuuko are looking at each other with loving eyes almost like teenagers, so proud of their daughter. Mari and Minako are talking to Yuuri and laughing. It was probably some old embarrassing story, he guessed due to the teasing tone of their voices and how Yuuri’s cheeks grew red.

Viktor watched Yuuri laugh and his heart almost stopped beating. It's as if in Japan, Victor finally could see Yuuri completely. All the parts of him that he had been so careful to keep guarded, finally out in the open and Viktor is nearly overwhelmed by it all.

His chest felt tight as he watched smile at Mari before turning to Axel who grabbed his attention to tell him a story. It hits him like a train. He's never felt like this. So full of this feeling he can't quite explain.

He's seen Yuuri as a coach, seen him skate, seen him with his family, and most importantly seen him alone, just the two of them. All of these parts make up Yuuri and he adores every one. He adores the other man so completely it steals his breath away in the middle of dinner, surrounded by Yuuri's loved ones. But to Viktor it's as if the world has fallen away and all that is left is Yuuri, sitting much too far away from him.

On the walk back to the hotel there was a part of him that ached with the need to run over to Yuuri and kiss him right now in front of everyone, but there was a louder voice inside him that kept him where he was with hands stuffed deep in his pockets looking at the ground where he walked.

Yuuri Katsuki the anxious and stubborn mess of a man who is also the kindest person Viktor has ever met. He would not take well to that kind of grand gesture but there was another part of him, just as strong as the first that was content to let the feeling wash over him, just knowing that he is in love was enough. He is in love with Yuuri and that’s all he needed for now.

“You’ve been awful quiet tonight.” Yurri said as he fell instep beside him.

Viktor looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

Yurri accepted that and nodded. “Yeah, there’s still the free skate tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe again till that’s over.”

Viktor wanted to laugh, the free skate was probably the farthest thing from his mind at that moment.

“Good night Yuuri.” Viktor said briskly when they reached the hotel and left to head to his room. It took nearly all of his strength to not look back at Yuuri who shouted goodnight as Viktor walked away. It hurt to turn away but he didn’t trust himself in that moment.

When he collapsed into his bed he knew he was in trouble, because all he could think of was Yuuri Katsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if the edit is a bit rough, just really wanted to get this one out to you!

**Author's Note:**

> First disclaimer, I know nothing about skating, so please be kind. Also, I'm in graduate school and this is my de-stressing side project but I am going to try and update semi-regularly on the weekends. As of right now I have a bit of a head start on the next couple chapters so fingers crossed I can keep it up.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please comment! All kudos appreciated!


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